architecture - the parkside

We've become amateur architecture buffs over the last few months. I've always been a bit of one, but our recent visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater really cemented it for Erica.


Cincinnati is a treasure trove of architectural gems, both famous and not-so. Frank Lloyd Wright has three residences here that he designed for various people, and the University of Cincinnati is a veritable who's who of contemporary architecture.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't include the CAC building downtown by Zaha Hadid and César Pelli's Aronoff Center. While those are all rather modern additions to our collection, I think our historical collection is even more impressive. Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine area is one of the nation's largest intact historic districts, comprised of 943 buildings of various architectural styles, and we're lucky enough to have purchased a condo in the emerging Gateway Quarter that we'll move into this spring.

Throughout Cincinnati you'll find impressive architecture, and as we journey we plan on writing up more of these, but first up I want to talk about our current home base, the Parkside building in Clifton. Designed in 1897 by Joseph G. Steinkamp, and built by Thomas Emery's sons, the building was added the National Register of Historic Places on 2008 February 29 after undergoing a full renovation and rebirth in 2006. The building had deteriorated to the point of being a health hazard, but has now been remodeled to be clean, modern and ready for another 100 years.


One thing that I've found interesting and rather refreshing since moving in here is the dedication and love the other tenants have for the building. It's an old and rather ornery building, and requires a lot of upkeep - however, everyone who lives here seems to value it and it's been a nice place to live. Cincinnati could use some more people who are as dedicated to preserving our historic structures as those living here at the Parkside.