Save OTR.

A couple of disclosures:

1) I have lived in Over-the-Rhine for three years, and have spent the better part of a decade in and around OTR and downtown, living, working and playing. The Boyfriend and I recently purchased a condo and are invested in the success of the neighborhood.

2) Tom Callinan is the editor of the Enquirer, with whom I have a partnership. Beyond that, he’s also someone I’m honored to call a friend.

I really love living in Over-the-Rhine. I love the people.  I love Findlay Market.  I love that I can walk just about anywhere downtown: restaurants, theaters, Music Hall, Reds games. I love that I see something new every day, and I don’t mean crime: crime has fallen drastically in the three years I’ve been a resident; I can’t tell you the last time I called the police when it used to be at least a weekly occurrence.  The streets have a secret– just look up… or down, or anywhere, really.

Nearly every day I see something new, architecturally– a new detail, something interesting.  It took me months to see the gigantic statue of an angel on a building at 12th and Walnut.  A lot of the buildings have earthquake supports capped with very pretty stars.  The painted detailing on the trim on many buildings is exquisite.  My old apartment had gorgeous fireplaces that dated back to the 1830s.  Our new place has gorgeous brick and some of that same detailed exterior trim.  It’s also proof that these buildings can be reclaimed and not torn down.  The building we purchased in was a burnt-out shell with floors falling in, unsafe for occupancy– and is now completely full of people who have invested in the community.  Pretty cool, huh?

Over-the-Rhine is full of Italianate architecture (one of the largest collections of it outside of Europe!) as well as Victorian, Queen Anne, Greek Revival, and a couple of others, all of which can’t be duplicated.  It makes the neighborhood feel like a tiny slice of Europe or New York (thus why it was used in “Lost in Yonkers” and several other movies) I need to take a picture of my favorite view– it’s from 13th street, driving through Pendleton.  In the fall, you see the trees’ color changing, rooftops, and Old St. Mary’s towering over the neighborhood.  It’s gorgeous.  For me, thinking about the people who built these places, the time, care and attention– it’s a bit overwhelming.  Now, to see these buildings torn down?  That’s heartbreaking.

As Tom Callinan reports, along with his photographers (there are some beautiful shots of OTR), Over-the-Rhine, which is one of the largest historical districts in the country, is in danger of demolition.  We’re months away from having more than 50% of these buildings gone because of the way the City’s building code is set up, though there is a ton of development going on– both new and rehab.  Both Tom and Paul Wilham can speak to this better than I can– so read Tom’s article and Paul’s blog for more information on reinvestment, rehabilitation and revitalization of this valuable neighborhood.