I am constantly amazed at the changing landscape of old downtown Cincinnati. This photo is from 1907. Please read the explanation I am including: The building on the right is the Mabley & Carew Department Store which occupied this spot for many years. The 4 story building across the street on the northwest corner (center card) was torn down and replaced by the twelve story Rollmans and Sons Department Store. Across the alley to the right of this building was the Hotel Havlin. When the Havlin closed, Rollmans purchased it, removed the alley, opened up the walls and connected the two buildings together thus expanding Rollmans retail space. After Rollmans closed Mabley & Carew moved across the street to this building. After the Carew Tower was constructed on the southwest corner Mabley & Carew moved into that building, they thus had occupied three of the four corners of fifth and Vine Sts. Of course Fountain Square now occupies the northeast corner. To the right of the Hotel Havlin is another alley and then the facade of the Grand Opera House which was rebuilt and eventually replace in 1939 by the Grand Theater. The next building north of the Grand at the southwest corner of Sixth & Vine was the Greenwood Building which was home to the Ohio Mechanics Institute from 1848 to 1910.. Barely seen across the street on Sixth is the Palace Hotel (now known as the Cincinnatian Hotel.). To the north of the Mabley & Carew building on the east side of Vine Street, across the street from the Grand) was the Lyric Theater. Opening in 1906 it presented musicals, vaudeville, and stage dramas before switching over to film. The Lyric closed in 1952 and was replaced by a parking lot. Across another alley is the Star Clothing Co. and next to it was the Family Theater a vaudeville house and then, by the 20s, a second run movie theater. The Family became the Western in the 1940s. When the Lyric was razed in 1952, the Western was remodeled and became the New Lyric but only lasted for less than a year. It was torn down 4 years later.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 22:49:50 +0000
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