Mount Washington, Ohio

Mount Washington is a diverse community on the east side of Cincinnati, Ohio. The neighborhood is about ten minutes east of Downtown via Columbia Parkway and Beechmont Avenue; or a slightly longer drive via Riverside Drive (formerly Eastern Avenue) and Kellogg Avenue, to Salem Avenue and up Sutton Avenue or Beacon Street. As one of Cincinnati's 52 neighborhoods, Mt. Washington lies within the city corporation limits, and borders the Cincinnati neighborhoods of California, Linwood, and the East End, as well as unincorporated Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. Mount Washington, originally an independent community, was annexed by the City of Cincinnati in 1911.

Business district

The Mt. Washington Water Tower, located on Campus Lane between Beechmont Avenue and Sutton Avenue, is a noted Art Deco landmark and is decorated top-to-bottom with lights every Christmas. Mt. Washington is also home to numerous small businesses, many of them located along Beechmont Avenue / Ohio State Route 125 in the main neighborhood business district, "The Mount Washington Water Tower District" (sometimes referred to as "Uptown" as a colloquial means of distinguishing it from other business districts, including Downtown Cincinnati and the two other districts in Mt. Washington).

Businesses include small shops such as Campus Cafe' (a local coffee shop), two jewelry stores, and Mr. Lock locksmith, as well as local outlets of larger enterprises such as New York NY Deli Cafe, Wendy's, LaRosa's Pizza, National City Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Walgreens, and Kroger (headquartered in Cincinnati). Gold Star Chili was started in Mt. Washington with the purchase of Hamburger Heaven in 1965, although the original location no longer exists. A recipe for Cincinnati chili was included in the sale. In season, there is also a community Farmer's Market on Thursdays at the Campus Cafe' parking lot across from the Water Tower.

Currently, the Mt. Washington Business District is being developed as a Project LilyPad Hotspot. Customers with wireless network cards in their computers have free, wireless Internet access from most locations between Campus Lane and Crestview Place.

Housing

Throughout the 1980s, the growth of large apartment complexes, and low to moderate income apartment buildings strained the neighborhood's image, but the neighborhood endured, and is currently making a strong comeback. Recent zoning has helped to protect the mostly residential nature of Beechmont Avenue in Mt. Washington.

Mt. Washington also contains historic homes and interesting architecture, particularly on Beacon Street, Mears Avenue, Wilaray Terrace and even along Beechmont Avenue. Housing stock in the neighborhood is diverse, with values ranging from mid-$70,000s bungalows to multi-million dollar estates. Streets such as Wilaray Terrace, Honeysuckle Lane, and Honeysuckle Drive are lined with architect-designed homes, built at various times during from the late 1920s to the early 1960s. Other streets, such as Adena Trail, contain homes built throughout the later twentieth century. The Lower Salem area, located along Salem Avenue between Wayside and Kellogg Avenues, contains sprawling estates and very large homes.

chools

Three grade schools are located in Mt. Washington. They are:
* Sands Montessori (Corbly Street, Cinti Public), formerly housing the Eastern Hills Elementary and Junior High Schools,
* Mt. Washington Elementary School (Mears Avenue, Cinti Public),
* Guardian Angels School (6539 Beechmont Avenue, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati).

The Archbishop McNicholas High School (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati) is also located in Mt. Washington, across from Guardian Angels.

Mt. Washington is also home to The Athenaeum of Ohio (Mt. St. Mary's Seminary of the West), which serves as the eastern gateway for Mt. Washington at the intersection of Beechmont Avenue and Birney Lane. The sprawling campus is owned by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and is visited by many for the architectural beauty of the campus. Many of the records for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati are located at this site, which contains a major library for the large Catholic population of Cincinnati.

Parks

Cincinnati Park Board operates the 125 acre Stanbery Park on Oxford Avenue between Corbly Street and Crestview Place. This park is named after Brigadier General Sanford B. Stanbery, who was the highest ranking officer from Hamilton County in World War I. The Tudor-style Stanbery house used to be located on park grounds, but was demolished as part of a park improvement program. Fundraisers held at the park have included a "Pumpkin Chuck" using a trebuchet (after Halloween 2006 and 2007). The park facilities include a paved walking area, hiking trails, playground equipment, and a picnic shelter. Stanbery Park is a popular sledding area on snowy days.

Recent Development

* New retail development by COLE Realty Associates at the intersection of Roxbury Street and Beechmont Avenue, including streetscape improvements, to be finished in early 2008.
* Condominium development on Elstun Road (priced from the $250,000s)
* Six new single family homes to be built on Honeysuckle Drive (priced from aprox. $390,000)

External links

* [http://www.mwcc.org Mount Washington Community Council]
* [http://www.gaschool.org/ Guardian Angels School ]
* [http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/ City of Cincinnati]
* [http://mtwash.cps-k12.org/ Mount Washington Elementary School]