Survey Says . . .

Best places to experience Art Deco in Cincinnati (and nearby).

Top 6 answers on the board . . .

1. Union Terminal (1933)
Architect: Fellheimer & Wagner w/ Paul Cret

It goes without saying Union Terminal is No. 1.

2. Downtown (and Over the Rhine)
Downtown has a nice collection of Art Deco and Art Modern including the former Lazarus Department Store (1938, renovation), Carew Tower & Omni Netherlands Plaza Hotel (1932), Cincinnati Bell (1930), the Times Start Building (1933), and the America Building (1928) in Over the Rhine

3. Walnut Hills & East Walnut Hills
Start off at Krohn Conservatory (1933) and then head north in to Walnut Hills for some nice Art Deco and early modernism like the Paramount Theatre Building (1931), Apartment Complex at 2531 - 2521 Kemper Lane (1928 with later additions), Cleinview Apartments (1928), International Molders & Allied Workers Union Building (1950), Apartment Building at Salutarius Avenue & East McMillan Street, an old roller rink, and the United Way Community Chest, formerly Ohio National (1933, renovation)

4. 20th Century Movie Theatre (1941)
3021 Madison Road
Architect: Fred Stritzel

5. Xavier’s Coca Cola Bottling Plant (1938) & University of Cincinnati’s Wilson Auditorium (1931)
Architects: John H. Deekin (former); Fechheimer & Ihorst (later)

6. Old Municipal Building, Hamilton, Ohio (1935)
20 High Street, Hamilton, OH
Architects: George Barkman, R. E. Smith, Frederick G. Mueller and Walter R. Hair

This Father’s Day post is dedicated to my father who worked in the City of Hamilton Municipal Building from 1958 to his retirement in 1989. To a large degree I point to this building (and Season 2 of This Old House) as really fueling my interest in architecture as a child. It was probably the first public building I experienced in person (as opposed to just in photographs) on an ongoing basis that I had a strong reaction to and fell in love with. Call me a nerd, but yes, you can fall in love with a building.

Honorable mentions include Lunken Airport (1937) and Westwood including their cute library branch (1931 by Architect Stanley Matthews) and a number of nice apartment buildings.

References:
Painter, Sue Ann. Architecture of Cincinnati. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2006