Where Does it End?
The West End Community's Resilience
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OVERVIEW
The objective of our mission is to highlight the voices of people who were born and raised in the West End, to understand the how much change that happened to the urban form in the past and how that effects the future.
West End Present Day Pin Map
The West End was a densely populated neighborhood, getting together for barbecues, meeting at the neighborhood’s basketball courts, movie theaters, parks, and pools. However, as a large portion of the white population left for the suburbs, the West End lacked investment to maintain these amenities. Now, lots are vacant and store fronts lie dormant.
LAUREL HOMES
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Cincinnati and Hamilton County Library
Laurel Homes was established in 1938 with 1303 units of low-income housing. In 1942, an adjacent property of 1015 units, Lincoln Court, opened in 1942 to black families only. Even though apartments were leased to both white and black families, black families were leased to on a much smaller scale. This made it nominally one of the first integrated housing projects in the United States. Additionally, Laurel Homes was the second-largest Public Works Administration public housing project in the country. Today, only a small portion of the development remains.
REGAL THEATER
Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
The Regal Theater opened in 1914 as the Casino Theater, hosting national vaudeville acts and providing employment for many residents. It became more of the neighborhood's fabric once Jack Goldman moved from Cleveland and bought the theater in 1936 to bring films and entertainment to the local community. A main street adorned with local businesses centralized itself around the theater. It soon closed in 1996 because of major disinvestment, leaving it to dramatically decay. As of 2021, the Robert O'Neal Multicultural Arts Center, will unveil their plans to save the historic Theater.
CROSLEY FIELD
Crosley Field formally opened on May 18, 1912 as the home for the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The land where the stadium once stood had several stadiums on it prior but were ultimately replaced by the more permanent Crosley Field. The field was the first in the Major League to have lights to allow teams to play at night. In 1937, the field was flooded and caused many structural improvements to be made.
Ball Parks of Baseball
As much of the urban population left in the mid-20th century, attendance declined due to lack of parking facilities and increasing crime rates in the neighborhood. In less than 60 years after Crosley Field was constructed, the team left for their new home on the banks at Riverfront Stadium. It was not long after that the stadium was demolished. One of the last remnants of the stadium can be found with a plaque where the home plate once sat.
Cincinnati Museum Center
ST. JOSEPH CHURCH
The St. Joseph church was organized in 1846 and was constructed two years later for German immigrants. Since the peak of its membership of 800 families in 1895 the church’s membership decreased by half. By 1988, 99% of the church’s members were African American. Today the church is deeply connected to the neighborhood's identity and still stands as a beautiful church used by the residents.
LINCOLN RECREATION CENTER
Hamilton County Auditor
The Lincoln Recreation Center has been a staple in the West End for generations. The land was first purchased by the City of Cincinnati in 1960, according to the Hamilton County Auditor. Redevelopment of the Center began in 2003 and finished in 2008. Since its redevelopment, projects like Project Blackboard partnering with the 2K foundation have brought life to the area. This project helped repaint the well-used basketball courts to help bring in local art to the community and create a better sense of place. Before this project, players were playing games without any lines on the court. Artist Adrienne Gaither who grew up in the West End was very excited to help bring some color to the heavily frequented area in 2018. One neighborhood resident noted that no matter what you needed, you could always rely on the Lincoln Center to be open to support you.