History Coming To Life In Cincinnati

Look Here! is a compelling history exhibition transforming the public realm into a temporary museum using historic photographs of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.

A NEIGHBORHOOD WORTH PRESERVING

Over-The-Rhine is the largest, intact, immigrant, mixed income, and working class urban neighborhood in the country. Featuring the largest collection of Italianate architecture in the U.S., this former haven of German immigrants looks and feels remarkably like some of the most attractive cities of Europe.

The neighborhood’s immense size covers roughly 362.5 acres and contains over 1,100 historically-contributing buildings. With miles of uninterrupted street grids, a dense network of mixed-use, low-rise and mid-rise building stock in an impressively dense environment, it would be virtually impossible to reproduce a walkable neighborhood of this scale and caliber in today’s world.

Photo Credit: [url]https://www.cincinnatiusa.com[/url]

While the past decade has seen a major injection of investment, historical redevelopment and new construction, the neighborhood is still marked with the scars from decades of neglect and demolition. Despite having such a large collection of Italianate architecture, the vast majority of the more historically significant buildings have been lost. Due to that neglect, once bustling street scenes in an opulent neighborhood eventually made way to a landscape defined by crime and blight.

Since 1930, roughly half of the building stock had been lost to the wrecking ball. In 2006, the neighborhood was listed as one of the “Eleven Most Endangered Places in America” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Since this time, city officials, neighborhood advocates and private developers have sought to turn the tide and explore revitalization techniques that preserves what made the neighborhood unique.

Photo Credit: [url]https://www.otrfoundation.org[/url]

“I believe the rapid change happening in Over-the-Rhine makes it an ideal location for the Look Here! exhibit,” notes Steinert. “As buildings are rehabilitated and new users join long-established residents, it is important to root the present in an understanding of the past. As the neighborhood evolves, this exhibition will allow Cincinnatians to make connections between the past and the present.”

Photo Credit: [url]https://cincinnatilifestyle.wordpress.com[/url]