Went by yesterday to work on a new photo project but saw that much of the buildings are sealed up and difficult to access as easily as before. What gives? All the vegetation has been cleared out, and I think they may have on site surveillance now (fresh conduits on all the exteriors of the buildings, wires leading to the roof and inside, solar power thing on the south side of the site).

What do you guys think?

Posted by tron_2.0 Went by yesterday to work on a new photo project but saw that much of the buildings are sealed up and difficult to access as easily as before.

How long ago is "before"?

I went 3-4 weeks ago and noticed the brush is cleared too, but the middle rows were as accessible as ever. Has that changed since? The hotel POE still appeared open, as well as some very open holes on the lower side of the perpendicular pink building, along with the basement to the northern row being open.

I know the owners do still give somewhat of a shit about the place. In the summer of 2010, workers rebuilt a corner of the building with the inwood village sign, and put new support beams and particle board flooring in at least one of the southwestern edge red houses. Some workers I talked to said at the time they were stabilizing the place. I don't know the status of the project since then and it's funding, but last I heard it hasn't been scrapped, so perhaps this means they finally got funding and they're gonna start working on the place again. At least that's my best guess.

I honestly think it's too far gone now. Maybe they could save the units that they tried to convert into condos a decade ago, but I remember how ready to collapse some of the beams in the basement appeared to be.

If they do do anything with it, the hotel portion is either going to need extremely major renovations or is going to be razed. Guess we'll just see what happens.

Hotel is sealed from what I could tell with steel grating. Before? It used to be totally wide open ever since I had been visiting (well over 5 years at this point). It seems accessibility has gotten spotty over the last year or two.

I didn't try the middle rows, just the hotel portion, the farthest south row, and the northernmost row. May check it out again today before I head up to Dayton.

Its a historic landmark, so it can't be demolished in all practical senses...

They sealed up the front of the hotel earlier this year, since then I had been getting in through 2X2 foot metal door to the basement, and as of VCXPEX was still open. There was also an open door in the back leading to a room that has no floor, just studs. Walk across the studs and you're in.


But honestly, I'm with HMM to some degree. Structurally, The place is fucked, especially the hotel. The western apartment wing in that building has maybe 50 square feet of floor between all levels that's not about to cave in, and it's the kind of floor you don't know is bad until you fall through, so really no one should be in there ever, but it's hardly beyond repair. You can replace support beams, floors, walls, roofs.

Posted by tron_2.0 Its a historic landmark, so it can't be demolished in all practical senses...

And there you have the trump card. I'm wondering how it got landmark status to begin with, but that's probably one of the main things saving it right now.

because it's Cincinnati's first suburb, and 125ish years old.

because it's Cincinnati's first suburb, and 125ish years old.

Posted by tron_2.0 Its a historic landmark, so it can't be demolished in all practical senses...

I wish that meant something, but it doesn't.

I've seen buildings listed with the U.S. Department of the Interior National Register of Historic Places demolished in this city, recently, and without protest or fanfare with my own eyes. It's a minor inconvenience at most if someone with enough pull wants a forgotten building pulled down.

Watched and videoed all nine hours of it. (It took about a week to finally clear the whole lot.)

Posted by CaptOrbit I wish that meant something, but it doesn't. I've seen buildings listed with the U.S. Department of the Interior National Register of Historic Places demolished in this city, recently, and without protest or fanfare with my own eyes. It's a minor inconvenience at most if someone with enough pull wants a forgotten building pulled down. Watched and videoed all nine hours of it. (It took about a week to finally clear the whole lot.)

This is very true, just the historic designation makes it more difficult and requires more financial resources to do so.

As for the shape the buildings are in, I have seen much worse (trust me) and I'm going to the hole for a very specific reason related to the project I'm working on.

Just swung by a couple days ago to show my photographer (I'm a magazine editor that writes, and she's my pro shutterbug) the place. She's from Columbus and didn't even know the complex existed and got really excited when I told her about it.

There were a bunch of people there when I turned down the street. 3 or 4 cars worth of people and a small U-Haul truck. Didn't get a glimpse of what was in the truck though, sadly.

My best friend work at the hospital and her locker room is on the backside of the building that faces the Hole. I'll let her know to keep an eye out on activity while she's at work and report back. I'll keep you guys posted when I get updates from her.

Could have been scrappers. They're serious at Glencoe. Once met a man who was throwing ovens out the third floor window into his ford ranger.

Posted by budda Could have been scrappers. They're serious at Glencoe. Once met a man who was throwing ovens out the third floor window into his ford ranger.

I'm surprised Happy Scrapper hasn't become more of a group meme.

Posted by Eschaton I'm surprised Happy Scrapper hasn't become more of a group meme.

You're right, it should be.

Actually, throwing an oven out a third-floor window and into a truck bed, by yourself, is pretty badass.

Posted by HarvestmanMan You're right, it should be. Actually, throwing an oven out a third-floor window and into a truck bed, by yourself, is pretty badass.

Happy Scrapper walks out with unnaturally big grin on his face and loads up his truck.
Me: "Hey, how ya doin'?"
Happy Scrapper: "I'm doin' grrreat!"
Happy Scrapper:
Happy Scrapper:
Happy Scrapper:
Me: Okay, you have a good day.

Cocaine's a hell of a drug.