3926 Feemster Street, June 17, 1932

The photographs contained in the Subway and Street Improvements collection are a valuable source of information for anyone who might be researching the urban development and built environment of Cincinnati in the period surrounding the turn of the 20^th century. Many of the images in the collection capture buildings and homes in Cincinnati’s downtown district and the surrounding neighborhoods as the city grew and expanded up the hills and along the Ohio River. And because the photographer wrote location and date information on the negatives, anyone interested in finding a picture of the house in which their grandparents or great-grandparents lived in 1923 may very well find it within this collection.

Many of the neighborhoods captured in the photographs are now recognized as having historical significance. Cincinnati boasts a total of 28 separate historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places (http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/historic-conservation/national-register-historic-districts/) located throughout the city. You may have noticed markers on buildings or signposts along streets that indicate the area is a National Historic District or that the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Listing on the register indicates that the federal government has

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
National_Register_of_Historic_Places

designated the structure or area as being historically significant to local, state ornational history, architecture, archaeology, engineering or culture. This designation is obtained through a nomination and application process which is administered through the National Park Service at the local level by a state’s preservation office. In Ohio, the National Register program is administered by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office, part of the Ohio Historical Society.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of properties recognized by the federal government as worthy of preservation for their local, state, or national significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture. When listed on the National Register, certain criteria and guidelines for preservation must be followed, which are managed at the local level, usually by the local preservation office or a department within city government – in Cincinnati, it is the Department of Planning and Buildings. In 1980, Cincinnati’s City Council passed historic conservation legislation that mandated “the conservation, protection, restoration, rehabilitation, use and overall enhancement of structures and districts in the City that possess special historic or architectural value”, and also established a Historic Conservation Board to manage this legislation. Additional information regarding conservation legislation, guidelines, dos and don’ts, may be found on the Planning and Buildings website.

Source: http://www.thebettshouse.org/

Some of the districts listed on the National Register, and which are captured in the photographs of the collection, include Betts-Longworth, Columbia Tusculum, Court Street, Hyde Park Observatory, East Walnut Hills, Main Street, Lincoln-Melrose, Mohawk-Bellevue, Northside, Old Bond Hill, Over-the-Rhine, Prospect Hill, Third & Main Street, and Woodburn Avenue. The Conservation Guidelines for each district are published on the Planning & Buildings website for public review. These guidelines provide an overview of the styles and architectural details of the buildings in the districts, and provide a reference for property owners who are either preserving an existing structure, building an addition to a structure, or infilling a vacant lot with a new structure, to maintain the character of the historic district. Meant as a guideline to maintain and enhance the visual rhythm of the streetscape, it is not a rigid set of rules by which all property owners must adhere, but is meant to assist property owners in making informed decisions initiating any restoration, rehabilitation, or new construction project.

The architectural styles that influence historic designation in Cincinnati are many and varied. Cincinnati is well-known for its “row house” style of architecture in the urban neighborhoods. Narrow and deep, usually between 25-50 feet wide and 2-5 stories high, these structures have a strong vertical emphasis that is accentuated by tall, narrow windows. The base, middle and top floor sections of the houses are visually separated, usually by a change in material or some decorative application such as a stone banding across the front. The buildings are constructed of brick or have wood siding, with some other materials incorporated for visual appeal including limestone, sandstone, slate, or wood. The front, or façade, of the structure runs parallel to the street with a shallow set-back.

Row houses on Eighth Street looking east from Linn Street, August 6, 1935

Row houses Laurel Street west of Canal Street (now Central Parkway), looking across street to rear of Cincinnati Music Hall, April 21, 1920

Every inch of ground space was utilized when building, with many houses being built right up to the property line. The style actually dates back to the late 1600s – early 1700s, but was popular in Cincinnati in the 1800s due to construction restrictions of the period and material limitations. An early form of “apartment living” in densely populated urban centers, builders would often purchase a single lot and squeeze in as many homes as possible in order to maximize profit. Predating large apartment complexes, these structures provided a similar scenario in which multiple families lived in close proximity to each other. In some instances, houses were built into the hillsides, with 2 or 3 levels visible from the front, and the full height of the structure visible from the back. Generally, 25-50% of the façade’s surface area is covered with large, single-pane windows that are aligned vertically to accentuate the height of the building.

Row houses along Miami-Erie Canal (now Central Parkway) near Mohawk Place, April 26, 1921

The public and commercial buildings found in the photographs of the subway and street improvements collection vary in style. Most were built between the Mid-19^th Century and Late Victorian periods, and reflect the traditional building materials and features of those periods. Many of the buildings along Central Parkway (originally Canal Street) in the downtown basin were built between the 1840s-1910s. Two popular styles of architecture for government offices, schools, banks and public or commercial buildings at this time were Italianate and Romanesque Revival, and the occasional Second Empire/Mansard or Chateauesque styles. These styles are represented in such buildings as the Y.M.C.A., constructed in 1917 at Elm Street and Central Parkway, and the Ohio Mechanics Institute at the northeast corner of Walnut Street and Central Parkway, built in 1911, and the Alms & Doepke Department Store at Sycamore Street and Central Parkway. Heading north on Central Parkway, the Cincinnati Music Hall, built in 1878, is a great example of High Victorian Gothic architecture popular for large scale public buildings such as churches, music halls, and libraries during the period.

Y.M.C.A. Building, at Central Parkway and Elm Street, Italianate style, June 16, 1921

Inset of photograph to the left

Y.M.C.A. Building, Central Parkway. Note the decorative cornice piece does not extend the full length of the side of the building. Buildings were meant to be viewed from the front, so the sides and back were not embellished, thus saving money on construction.

Alms & Doepke Department Store, Central Parkway and Sycamore Street, Chateauesque style, November 13, 1926

Second Empire/Mansard style homes at the northeast corner of Central Parkway and 15th Street, May 14, 1920

Rashing School, Romanesque, Elm Street and Central Parkway, June 6, 1921

Ohio Mechanics Institute, 1911, Walnut Street and Central Parkway, Oct. 2, 1920

Cincinnati Music Hall, Central Pkwy / Rear after remodeling, July 2, 1928

Arnsby Avenue, Craftsman/Bungalow style, circa 1924

Other residential styles besides the row house may be found in the suburban neighborhoods, and reflect the Late 19^th and Early 20^th Century Movements. Housing construction exploded in the post-war years and as the city expanded beyond the hills by means of cable and street cars. Cincinnatians were drawn to the open spaces and the roominess of the Bungalow and Prairie house styles. Neighborhoods such as East Walnut Hills, Clifton, Price Hill, Kenwood, Avondale, and others grew as public transportation allowed Cincinnatians easier access to-and-from the downtown.

The two images above represent “before improvement” and “after improvement” views of Attica Avenue looking south from Swift Street. March 3, 1927 (top) and July 7, 1927 (bottom)

The more affluent neighborhoods where prominent Cincinnati businessmen relocated to “country estates”, such as Glendale, Wyoming and Hyde Park, also boasted large Victorian, Italianate, and Gothic Revival styles. As is evident in the photographs, street construction could not keep up with housing construction. Many sidewalks and streets were hazardous for pedestrians and early automobiles. Horse-drawn wagons and carriages can still be seen in many of the late-1920 and early-1930 photographs. Kids, however, had no problem when it came to playing in these rutted and muddy streets, as may be seen in many of the photographs in the collection.

2839 McMicken Avenue, Italianate, December 3, 1926. Note the house on the right, as well as in the image immediately below, which have a false front at the top. This was often done to give the appearance of a larger structure; as with the decorative cornice on the Y.M.C.A. building, the structure was meant to be viewed from the front, and the false story gave the impression of a second story.

2817 McMicken Ave., Dec. 6, 1926

4540 Eastern Avenue, Queen Anne, June 16,
1932

These two houses, numbers 4138 and 4140 Eastern Avenue, are nearly identical with only minor differences, such as the circular vs. rectangular attic window. The decorative wood bracketing is identical on both houses, as are the porch balustrade and columns, window and door placement. June 16, 1932

4120 Eastern Avenue, Queen Anne, June 16, 1932

Because the collection spans a period of almost 50 years, from the 1910s through the 1950s, it represents a broad range of architectural styles that evolved throughout Cincinnati, from the Italianate and Gothic styles of the Victorian Period to the Bungalow and International styles of the Modern Movement. It provides a visual record of the residential, commercial, religious, and educational building styles of multiple periods in multiple neighborhoods. It represents the changing landscape of the city as advances in materials and construction techniques altered how and where structures could be built. Just as the subway construction and street improvements represent changes to the city’s transportation systems, advancing from canal to subway and dirt road to paved street, as advances in transportation altered the means by which Cincinnatians traveled around their city.

When the online repository is made available through the UC Libraries Digital Collections and the UC Digital Resource Commons (full online access to be available October, 2013), a Google map will be provided with plotted coordinates based on the information written on the photographs. Visitors to the online collections will be able to view an image of a building in Cincinnati in 1923, and find that same building on a map of Cincinnati in 2013. In some cases, buildings may no longer exist, replaced by new structures or razed for construction yet to occur, or street intersections may have been altered, some replaced by the I-75/I-71 interchange, but that is the price of progress as a city such as Cincinnati grows and develops over the course of 90 years. The subway construction and street improvements were, themselves, a prime example of the growth and development of Cincinnati in the 1920s.

Sources:

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/historic-conservation/national-register-historic-districts/

http://www.ohiohistory.org/ohio-historic-preservation-office

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/planning/historic-conservation/

http://www.thebettshouse.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Historic_districts_in_Cincinnati,_Ohio

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/architectural_styles/2379

http://www.urbanophile.com/2010/06/06/the-neighborhoods-of-cincinnati/

http://www.urbanophile.com/2008/05/10/cincinnati-a-midwest-conundrum/

 This project is funded by a grant for $60,669 through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Ohio.

Telegram from Hilary Koprowski to Albert Sabin, indicating he would be unable to attend a polio conference.

Hilary Koprowski is considered by many to be equally important as Salk and Sabin in the quest to eradicate poliomyelitis. When Koprowski passed away last month, his illustrious career was recounted in his obituary and included such notable achievements as the development of a live-virus polio vaccine, improvement of the rabies vaccine, and directorship of the world-renowned Wistar Institute in Pennsylvania. His interest in the live-virus polio vaccine caused his career to overlap with Albert Sabin’s work regularly. The obituary details the competition between Sabin and Koprowski for the eventual triumph of their various polio vaccines.[1] Letters in the Albert B. Sabin archives indicate that the two great scientists often shared material and data though, unfortunately, they did not have an entirely conflict-free relationship.

Much of their correspondence is simply “thank you” letters for strains of virus or data exchanged. Their early exchanges were cordial including an invitation for Sabin to stay with Koprowski when visiting New York. Koprowski offers to arrange an evening of musical performances[2] which would surely have been entertaining since he was a concert pianist and composer and Sabin was a lover of classical music.

As the polio wars—the race to create and license an effective vaccine to eliminate the threat of polio—heated up through the 1960s, their communications became more competitive. In late 1958, the two exchanged letters in which they disagreed on some experimental results. Sabin informed Koprowski that he could not duplicate Koprowski’s findings but softened the blow by stating that “it would not be the first time a busy, senior investigator had been misled by data reported to him by less experienced assistants.”[3] In his reply, Koprowski highlights several points of disagreement with Sabin’s work. Like Sabin, he removes some of his criticisms’ sting by including this La Rochefoucauld quote: “Les querelles ne dureraient pas longtemps, si Ie tort n’était que d’un coté.”[4] (Quarrels wouldn’t last so long if only one side was at fault.)

Koprowski was a staunch defender of his own work. In a letter to United States Surgeon General Leroy Burney, he addresses critiques directly and outlines why he believes his work merits consideration.[5] Even with his efforts, Sabin’s vaccine eclipsed his colleague’s and garnered world-wide attention and support. A tireless worker, Koprowski continued his scientific work in vaccines and cancer and eventually went on to win the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal award in 2007. In his acceptance speech, he recounted several meetings he had with Sabin. He also spoke about the polio wars: “The principal protagonists were Albert Sabin and Jonas Salk. My participation was minimal except that I always supported the concept of live oral virus vaccine vs. formalin-inactivated virus vaccine.”[6]

At the end of his speech, Koprowski mentions several other positive encounters they had after the polio wars including an instance where Sabin defended him against criticism of his live virus polio vaccine trials in the Congo. Finally, he recounted an obituary he wrote for Sabin: “At one time, Sabin and I became adversaries over the selection of polio virus strains to be used as oral vaccines. This did not affect our long-lasting friendship and mutual respect. Courageous and wise. This is how I see him; I will miss him sorely.”[7]

The Sabin digital collection contains many of the letters exchanged between Drs. Sabin and Koprowski. To browse them, please visit the collection’s website.

References
[1] “Hilary Koprowski, Who Developed First Live-Virus Polio Vaccine, Dies at 96,” New York Times, April 20, 2013.
[2] Letter from Koprowski, Hilary to Sabin, Albert B. dated 1953-01-06.
[3] Letter from Sabin, Albert B. to Koprowski, Hilary dated 1958-11-17.
[4] Letter from Koprowski, Hilary to Sabin, Albert B. dated 1958-12-01.
[5] Letter from Koprowski, Hilary dated 1960-08-26.
[6] Hilary Koprowski’s Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal Speech (May 1, 2007).
[7] Ibid.

In 2010, the University of Cincinnati Libraries received a $314,258 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to digitize the correspondence and photographs of Dr. Albert B. Sabin. This digitization project has been designated a NEH “We the People” project, an initiative to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes in our nation’s history and culture and that advance knowledge of the principles that define America. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Thanks to a generous donation from Anthony Graybosch, The Archives and Rare Books Library now has in its holdings a collection of philosophy books from Van Meter Ames’ private library.  Van Meter Ames was a faculty member in the UC philosophy department, beginning in 1925, and served as its head from 1959 until 1966 when he retired.  Many of the books in this collection have Ames’ annotations, notes, and article clippings in them, as well as correspondence between Ames and fellow philosophers or friends.

Having no personal connection to Ames, Anthony Graybosch came to possess this collection of books in 2002 upon the passing of Kent Tiedeman, his philosophy department colleague at California State University-Chico.  Tiedeman, born in San Fransisco, studied philosophy with Ames at the University of Cincinnati in the early 1960s, receiving both an MA and a PhD.  As evidenced by many of the bookplates found in this new collection, Ames gave Tiedeman a substantial collection of his personal holdings in July of 1968 (2 years after Ames’ retirement from UC).  As Graybosch is now nearing his own retirement at Chico, he sought a proper home for these valuable items and found one in ARB.  With ARB already holding the Van Meter Ames Papers, this new collection is a perfect complement.

Most of the books in this collection were written by or about American philosophers.  Santayana, Hook, Dewey, Mead, and James are all included in this collection and all seem to be of particular importance to and influence on Ames.  To the right is Hook’s, American Philosophers at Work.  The end paper of this book (far right) was inscribed from Hook to Ames in 1958 and speaks about their friendship and the memories they shared in Japan.  A postcard from Hook to Ames that was inserted in this book is pictured below.  It is addressed to Ames in Tokyo.

If a book was not a gift from a friend, such as the one above, Ames often wrote his name, the date, and the city in which he received and/or finished the book.  An example of this is illustrated in Ames’ copy of Mead’s Mind, Self, and Society, pictured below.  Here you can see Ames’ notes on Mead’s writings, in addition to pages Ames seemed to think were of special importance.  Hence, this collection would be of interest to anyone who is curious about the development of Ames’ philosophy.

By studying what ideas Ames made note of on the end papers or in the book margins, what he underlined in the text, or what authors or subject themes continually recur throughout his book collection, one can ascertain a sense of Ames’ philosophical interests.  Additionally, information about his personal life can be garnered via the locations and dates associated with each book, as well as any correspondence contained within it.  For example, also included in Mead’s Mind, Self, and Society, was this envelope addressed to Van Meter Ames in Cincinnati and stamped Nov. 9, 1970.  (Note that the original date associated with the book was Jan. 16, 1935; Texas).  Does this mean that Ames had revisited the book in his later years?  Or had he pulled this book back out because the letter writer mentions Mead?  While we may never know definitive answers to such questions, all materials contained within any given book have been left in that book for the sake of provenance.  Rather than removing materials from a book and organizing them into separate folders, we have kept all materials in the books as they were delivered to us.  This organizational scheme will hopefully be of more use to researchers.

If interested in this collection, one can browse the finding aid available on the OhioLink Finding Aid Repository, which is an alphabetized bibliography of Ames’ books.  If a name, date, or personal message, was inscribed on the endpaper of any book, it has been noted in the bibliography.  Additionally, a note was made if any article clipping, correspondence, etc. was inserted into the book.  To view the contents of this collection, please call or e-mail the Archives and Rare Books Library to schedule an appointment.   To view information about our previously processed Van Meter Ames papers, see the blog entry on that collection.

Further, while the majority of this new collection centers on American philosophy and Van Meter Ames, it is curious to find other connections to the University of Cincinnati.  For instance, in William James’ Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking, the book plate and signature of Raymond Walters is present.  Anyone interested in Walters’ past, will be pleased to know that ARB holds a collection of his diaries and his records as president of UC.

A new Records Update is now available on the Records Management Program website. Records Update is released periodically to convey timely information between publications of Records Quarterly. This issue offers “Records in the News” stories found in the media and legislative action taken in March and April.

As reported in the Spring 2013 Records Quarterly article, “Public Records: Your Rights and Responsibilities,” Ohio’s public records laws are dynamic and are continually being tested in Ohio’s courtrooms. Ohio courts decided seven public records cases in March and April and there are currently six open cases in front of the Supreme Court of Ohio. In a case close to home, on April 24 the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled that lease terms and rents between Findlay Market private management company The Corporation for Findlay Market and its tenants are trade secrets and are not open to disclosure under the public records act. In 2010, Kevin P. Luken requested copies of lease agreements from The Corporation for Findlay Market and ultimately from the City of Cincinnati. While he received the agreements, terms and rents were redacted from the released documents and cited as trade secrets. Luken initated a mandamus action against the parties, which resulted in the recent decision.

The Findlay Market decision and more are available through this issue of Records Update.