Description: Caption reads: "Netherland Plaza Hotel. Hall of Mirrors." The Art Deco style Netherland complex, which included the Netherland Plaza Hotel, the Carew Office Tower, and the Emery Arcade, was designed by architect Walter W. Ahlschlager with contributions from William Delano. The ground level shopping arcade, which served as the main lobby of the complex, spanned the distance of a city block, connecting to the offices on one end and the hotel on the other. Conceived by civic leader John J. Emery, Jr to revive the downtown area as a city center, the complex took the place of an Emery hotel, an Emery shopping arcade, and a popular department store. The structure was constructed and decorated in a little over a year, and completed in 1931 during the Great Depression. The complex was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1994. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B02F13_011_1
Subjects: Historic sites--Ohio--Cincinnati; Architecture--Ohio--Cincinnati Region--History--20th century; Historic buildings--Ohio--Cincinnati Region--Pictorial works
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: This is an engraving of what is mostly likely Springer Auditorium in the Cincinnati Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio. It appears there is an orchestra or choir singing on stage with a conductor leading the performance. Reuben Springer was a founding patron of the Cincinnati Music Hall and the auditorium was named Springer Hall in his honor. The Cincinnati Music Hall is now the epicenter of classical music performance in Cincinnati. It serves as the home for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival Chorus, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Completed in 1878, the building is located at 1241 Elm Street in Cincinnati, Ohio across from historic Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine, not far from the center of the downtown area. In December of 1974, it was included on the list of National Historic Landmarks. Built on the site of a pauper's cemetery, it is reputedly one of the most haunted places in Cincinnati. The Music Hall opened for its first performance, Beethoven's "Eroica" and Gluck's "Alceste" on May 14, 1878. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F01_054
Subjects: Cincinnati Music Hall; Music--Performance; Historic buildings--Ohio--Cincinnati--Pictorial works; Music Hall (Cincinnati, Ohio); Audiences; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project.
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Engraving of the Cincinnati Exposition Hall in the 1870's. The building is also known as Saengerfest Hall or Music Hall. The Venetian Gothic music hall was built by Hannaford,Samuel, & Sons. The land was originally purchased in 1818 for $3,200 at the West Side of Elm Street and North of 12th Street (14th street). In 1821 the building was used as Ohio's first insane asylum, later the area was used as an orphan asylum beginning in 1832. Later, during a cholera outbreak the building was used to house diseased people and the surrounding area was used as a cemetery to bury the deceased. Beginning in 1859 the surrounding area was called Elm Street Park and it remained a place for recreation until 1870 when the hall was used as an exposition hall. During the years 1870-1876 when the hall was used for industrial expositions the building was able to accommodate up to 8 acres of industrial and horticulture displays. Exposition Hall was a huge wooden structure that was 250 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 80 feet tall. In 1876 the hall was converted to a music hall with no stage. It was not until 1890 when the hall installed a proscenium theater stage so that performers had a proper environment for their acts. The hall is currently still used for musical performances and it is renowned around the world for its architectural design and strangely known for its supposed paranormal activity. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B03F01_029
Subjects: Cincinnati Music Hall; Historic buildings--Ohio--Cincinnati--Pictorial works; Horticulture buildings--Ohio--Cincinnati--1870-1880.
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse Reads "Gruen Watch Company. Cincinnati, Ohio." Located at 401 East McMillan Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Gruen Watchmaker's Guild factory building was known as Time Hill. Designed by Burroughs & Deeken in 1917 in the Tudor Revival style, it resembles an Swiss chalet. In the 1990's it was purchased, along with the Beau Brommell Tie Company building across the street, by the Union Institute & University and restored to it's original design. Much time and money was spent replacing the original Rookwood floor in the lobby, millwork and many other details, which had been removed by a previous owner, which won the project both the Cincinnati and the State of Ohio Design Preservation Awards. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_b03f03_008_001
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Architecture, Domestic--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc; ; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse Reads "Gruen Watch Company. Cincinnati, Ohio." Located at 401 East McMillan Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Gruen Watchmaker's Guild factory building was known as Time Hill. Designed by Burroughs & Deeken in 1917 in the Tudor Revival style, it resembles an Swiss chalet. In the 1990's it was purchased, along with the Beau Brommell Tie Company building across the street, by the Union Institute & University and restored to it's original design. Much time and money was spent replacing the original Rookwood floor in the lobby, millwork and many other details, which had been removed by a previous owner, which won the project both the Cincinnati and the State of Ohio Design Preservation Awards. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_b03f03_014_001
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Architecture, Domestic--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows a door in the Benjamin Pitman home. The door and its frame feature intricate carvings, including birds and geometric motifs. Benjamin Pitman, an English author and proponent of Pitman shorthand, developed by his brother Isaac Pitman. Benn, along with his wife and children, arrived in the United States in 1853 and settled first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later Canton, Ohio, and then Cincinnati. After his brother made changes to his system, Pittman refused to endorse it, and the original shorthand system was adopted in the United States. Pittman served in the Union Army during the Civil War and became the official stenographer for the trials of Abraham Lincoln's assassin and others. He became active in the arts in the 1870s and introduced the Pitman School of Woodcarving. The Benn Pitman house is located at 1852 Columbia Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. The home was built between 1800 and 1804 and the exterior incorporates many styles, including Italian Chateau, Romanesque and Rococo. Among his many accomplishments, Pitman taught woodcarving at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. He himself made much of the woodwork inside the home, including doors, panels and wainscoting. Much of the more delicate work depicting flowers and leaves was done by Pitman's wife and her twin sister, who taught at the local art school. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_b03f03_019_001
Subjects: Houses; Architectural interiors; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse Reads "Gruen Watch Company. Cincinnati, Ohio." Located at 401 East McMillan Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Gruen Watchmaker's Guild factory building was known as Time Hill. Designed by Burroughs & Deeken in 1917 in the Tudor Revival style, it resembles an Swiss chalet. In the 1990's it was purchased, along with the Beau Brommell Tie Company building across the street, by the Union Institute & University and restored to it's original design. Much time and money was spent replacing the original Rookwood floor in the lobby, millwork and many other details, which had been removed by a previous owner, which won the project both the Cincinnati and the State of Ohio Design Preservation Awards. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_b03f03_024_001
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Architecture, Domestic--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse Reads "Gruen Watch Company. Cincinnati, Ohio." Located at 401 East McMillan Street in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Gruen Watchmaker's Guild factory building was known as Time Hill. Designed by Burroughs & Deeken in 1917 in the Tudor Revival style, it resembles an Swiss chalet. In the 1990's it was purchased, along with the Beau Brommell Tie Company building across the street, by the Union Institute & University and restored to it's original design. Much time and money was spent replacing the original Rookwood floor in the lobby, millwork and many other details, which had been removed by a previous owner, which won the project both the Cincinnati and the State of Ohio Design Preservation Awards. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_b03f03_026_001
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows a fireplace and doors in the home of Benjamin Pitman. The molding and woodwork feature elaborate carvings. Benjamin Pitman, an English author and proponent of Pitman shorthand, developed by his brother Isaac Pitman. Benn, along with his wife and children, arrived in the United States in 1853 and settled first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later Canton, Ohio, and then Cincinnati. After his brother made changes to his system, Pittman refused to endorse it, and the original shorthand system was adopted in the United States. Pittman served in the Union Army during the Civil War and became the official stenographer for the trials of Abraham Lincoln's assassin and others. He became active in the arts in the 1870s and introduced the Pitman School of Woodcarving. The Benn Pitman house is located at 1852 Columbia Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. The home was built between 1800 and 1804 and the exterior incorporates many styles, including Italian Chateau, Romanesque and Rococo. Among his many accomplishments, Pitman taught woodcarving at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. He himself made much of the woodwork inside the home, including doors, panels and wainscoting. Much of the more delicate work depicting flowers and leaves was done by Pitman's wife and her twin sister, who taught at the local art school. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_b03f03_028_001
Subjects: Houses; Architectural interiors; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows an interior view of the home of Benjamin Pitman, an English author and proponent of Pitman shorthand, developed by his brother Isaac Pitman. Benn, along with his wife and children, arrived in the United States in 1853 and settled first in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later Canton, Ohio, and then Cincinnati. After his brother made changes to his system, Pittman refused to endorse it, and the original shorthand system was adopted in the United States. Pittman served in the Union Army during the Civil War and became the official stenographer for the trials of Abraham Lincoln's assassin and others. He became active in the arts in the 1870s and introduced the Pitman School of Woodcarving. The Benn Pitman house is located at 1852 Columbia Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. The home was built between 1800 and 1804 and the exterior incorporates many styles, including Italian Chateau, Romanesque and Rococo. Among his many accomplishments, Pitman taught woodcarving at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. He himself made much of the woodwork inside the home, including doors, panels and wainscoting. Much of the more delicate work depicting flowers and leaves was done by Pitman's wife and her twin sister, who taught at the local art school. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_b03f03_030_001
Subjects: Houses; Architectural interiors; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Dated ca. 1930-1943, this photograph shows an interior view of the home of Benjamin Pitman, an English author and proponent of Pitman shorthand, developed by his brother Isaac Pitman. Benn, along with his wife and children, arrived in the United States in 1853 and first settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later Canton, Ohio, and then Cincinnati. After his brother made changes to his system, Pittman refused to endorse it, and the original shorthand system was adopted in the United States. Pittman served in the Union Army during the Civil War and became the official stenographer for the trials of Abraham Lincoln's assassin and other cases. He became active in the arts in the 1870s and introdiced the Pitman School of Woodcarving. The Benn Pitman house is located at 1852 Columbia Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. The home was built between 1800 and 1804 and the exterior incorporates many styles including Italian Chateau, Romanesque, and Rococo. Among his many accomplishments, Pitman taught woodcarving at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. He himself made much of the woodwork inside the home, including doors, panels, and wainscoting. Much of the more delicate work depicting flowers and leaves was done by Pitman's wife and her twin sister, who taught at the local art school. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. This photograph is one of the many visual materials collected for use in the Ohio Guide. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration by executive order to create jobs for the large numbers of unemployed laborers, as well as artists, musicians, actors, and writers. The Federal Arts Program, a sector of the Works Progress Administration, included the Federal Writers’ Project, one of the primary goals of which was to complete the America Guide series, a series of guidebooks for each state which included state history, art, architecture, music, literature, and points of interest to the major cities and tours throughout the state. Work on the Ohio Guide began in 1935 with the publication of several pamphlets and brochures. The Reorganization Act of 1939 consolidated the Works Progress Administration and other agencies into the Federal Works Administration, and the Federal Writers’ Project became the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio. The final product was published in 1940 and went through several editions. The Ohio Guide Collection consists of 4,769 photographs collected for use in Ohio Guide and other publications of the Federal Writers’ Project in Ohio from 1935-1939. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_b03f03_033_001
Subjects: Houses; Architectural interiors; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Pictorial works; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Located at 5870 Belmont Avenue in the College Hill area of Cincinnati, Ohio, the Peter G. Thomson Home is better known as Laurel Court and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Beau Arts Neoclassical style home, completed in 1907, was built for Peter G. Thomson, founder of Champion Paper, and designed by James Gamble Rogers, the nephew of Peter’s wife Laura Gamble Thomson. It was modeled after the Petit Trianon, a “small” chateau on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in France, and is considered one of the finest homes in America. The exterior is made from chiseled granite and was originally built on twenty three acres, on the highest point in Hamilton County. The Thomson family lived in the home until 1947. Today, the private residence stands on seven and a half acres of land, and the numerous original buildings, gardens, statues and fountains are open for tours and special events by reservation only. Some of the notable features of this home include the retractable roof of the two story Atrium in the center of the house, the Rookwood tiled swimming pool, the African Rosewood tiled Library, and the gilded Music Room. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_b03f03_035_001
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Architecture, Domestic--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Cincinnati (Ohio)--Buildings, structures, etc; Thomson, Peter G. (Peter Gibson), 1851-1931; Rogers, James Gamble, 1901-1990; National Register of Historic Places
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)