CITY HALL
City Hall is on the block surrounded by 8th, 9th, Plum and Central Streets. The first City Hall on this site was built in 1852. It was not too long before the building was deemed to be to small and was torn down. The cornerstone for the structure below was laid in 1888. It took 5 years to build and was dedicated May 13, 1893. It is 3 stories high. The arched and gabled, highly ornamented style is called "Richardsonian Romanesque." It contains marble stairways and columns, mosaic floors and stained glass windows. The original structure contained rooms for the mayor, waterworks administration, police chief, city clerk, corporation counsel, city engineers, inspectors, administrative boards, police court, jail cells, dormitory, library, drill room, gymnasium, and phone exchange. Over the years most of these departments have moved into their own quarters, but it sure must have been a busy place in those early years. Major improvements were made in the 1970's. If you are wondering whether or not a couple of your cards may be the same image, check the clock hands it is a dead give away.
Not a postcard
Private Mailing Card
Stairway
City Council
Hall
Mayor's
office
The most complete fire
alarm system in the world.
in use from 1907-1939
One of the windows
HAMILTON COUNTY COURTHOUSE
Cincinnati's first courthouse on 5th Street was a small log structure built in 1795. This was replaced by a brick courthouse 7 years later. In 1819 the first courthouse erected at its present location at Main and Central Parkway lasted for 30 years before it was destroyed by fire. The courthouse built in 1853 was also burned down in the famous riot of 1884 when a mob of 10,000 attacked it. Incensed over a conviction of manslaughter instead of murder for William Berner for killing his employer the people became enraged. For years the people had put up with political corruption and jury tampering and this verdict was the last straw. After three days of rioting and the arrival of hundreds of National Guard troops 50 people lay dead and 200 were injured.
Courthouse in 1857
This drawing shows the mob burning the Courthouse.
The 3 non-postcard images above show some of the destruction done and the 4 items below show some of the defensive barricades raised by the National Guardsmen.
The structure seen in the first three rows was the one built to replace the destroyed one. Completed in 1886 it served the community until 1914 by which time it had become overcrowded and outmoded. The next three rows show the courthouse that replaced it in 1919. Many changes have been made since then.
Same image right one minus the
pole
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Chamber of Commerce building was erected in1884 at the s. w. corner of Fourth and Vine, replacing the post office which had moved to 5th St. As you can see in the cards below the windows on the second floor of this 5 story building were much larger than the others. This is because this floor, used by the Merchants' Exchange, was a completely open area, 140' x 68' with a 48' ceiling. The first floor contained a bank, a restaurant, and the ticket office for the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railway. The upper three floors were used by the Cincinnati Businessman's Club as office space and club rooms. The building was destroyed by fire in 1911. The last 2 cards shows the 14 story building on the s. w. corner of Fourth and Race that replaced it which was completed in 1927.
Not a postcard
The first card shows a locomotive that was purchased by the Cincinnati Chamber Of Commerce in 1915 from the French Panama Canal Company. The engine was used by the French Co. De Lessep in the first attempt in digging the Panama Canal. The Chamber bought the engine after the canal was completed in the second attempt because of the direct connection between Cincinnati and the canal by waterway greatly expanded the trade possibilities of the city. It was stored at the Ohio Mechanics Institute and was exhibited on trade trips taken by the Chamber's Trade Expansion Club and at other exhibitions. The President of the club William T. Johnston is seen in the image. The second image is a newspaper drawing of H. Lee Early who was President of the Chamber ca. 1905.
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