in London and Shakespeare’s Globe.
South of Cincy Shakes, as the theater calls itself, is the towering Central Parkway YMCA (1918). The Italian Renaissance building with two-story arched windows is home to offices for the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, along with 65 affordable apartments for seniors. Walk along 12th Street toward Race Street and take in the block-long rear facade of the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA). Key to the revitalization of Washington Park, this was the first K–12 arts school in the United States. Founded in 1973 as one of the first magnet schools in the city, it relocated here from the old Woodward High School building on Sycamore Street. SCPA is a model of excellence in school integration.
Return to Race Street for two more historic churches.
Remain standing at 13th Street for a closeup view of two ArtWorks murals. Each is part of more than 50 elaborate murals painted on the sides of buildings in Over-the-Rhine and downtown. You’ll notice them almost everywhere you go. (For even closer inspection, ArtWorks student apprentices provide guided walking tours.) The Vision of Samuel Hannaford shows a portrait of Samuel Hannaford resting on blueprints, symbolizing his architectural legacy in Cincinnati. The Golden Muse features a larger-than-life figurine from an 18th-century mantel clock in the Taft Museum of Art’s collection.
Return to 12th Street and turn left. Tender Mercies is a longtime Over-the-Rhine institution and a model for retaining diversity and inclusiveness through housing service in a rapidly changing neighborhood. Continue east toward Vine Street, the spine of Over-the-Rhine. In the late 1800s, Vine Street once contained 136 saloons, taverns, and beer gardens. Today, the street is a thriving commercial district with a mix of restaurants, bars, and retail stores. There are far too many to list here. (For a listing of Over-the-Rhine businesses, visit otrchamber.com.) A few doors south is
Continue walking east along 12th Street, crossing Vine. Walk one block to Jackson Street. On the left is the
Walk one block east to Walnut Street and turn right. Opposite are two popular local bars (Halfcut at 1126 Walnut St. and Below Zero Lounge at 1120 Walnut St.) and Gomez (107 E. 12th St.), a walk-up burrito-and-taco window. The first building on the right is Germania Building (1151–1199 Walnut St.), one of Over-the-Rhine’s architectural treasures from 1877. Johann Bast designed this delightful stone Italian Renaissance facade. Its second-floor nave holds the statue of Germania, symbolizing the German spirit.
Proceed south down Walnut Street and notice the Crazy Cat, Crazy Quilt (1107 Walnut St.) mural on the back of the American Building (30 E. Central Pkwy.), one of the city’s first Art Deco office buildings from 1927, later converted into condos. The colorfully depicted mural honors the accomplished life and career of Cincinnati Master artist Edie Harper, who later met fellow artist Charley Harper. He remained her partner in life and love until his death in 2007. Turn left at Central Parkway and cross Walnut Street to get an expansive view of Emery Center Apartments. Formerly the Ohio Mechanics Institute Building, Emery is another pivotal building in Over-the-Rhine’s rebirth. Built in 1909 in Tudor Revival style, it contains 59 converted apartments upstairs, Coffee Emporium at ground level, and one of the city’s abandoned gems: Emery Theater. An acoustically exceptional concert hall, it was built specifically for the symphony and was the first theater in the United States to have no obstructed seats.
After refueling at Coffee Emporium, walk east to Clay Street and turn left. At 12th Street are two more drinking spots: rhinehaus sports bar (119 E. 12th St.) and Revel OTR Urban Winery (111 E. 12th St.). Cross 12th Street and walk to
Turn right on 13th Street and walk east to Main Street, one of the finest and most intact late 19th-century streetscapes in the city. Many cite Main Street as their favorite street in the neighborhood for its independent and artistic spirit. Cross Main Street, turn right before popping into a shop or two, and then go left on 12th Street. Much of Over-the-Rhine’s early revitalization efforts in the 1980s started here. At the end of this block on the left is the former Queen City Diner (1203 Sycamore St.). Built in 1955 and brought here in 1984 from Massillon, Ohio, it contrasts with its 19th-century neighbors and dazzles the eye compared to the vast parking lots across the street. Turn left on Sycamore Street past Olde Sycamore Square across the street. The five narrow Italianate buildings were beautifully restored in the mid-1980s, a decade before changes started on Main Street and two decades before Vine Street. Cross 13th Street. On the right is the massive Renaissance Revival structure built in 1910, the former Woodward High School and SCPA, recently converted into 142 apartments known as Alumni Lofts.
On the left is
