Mid-century Reading Road (Cincinnati, Green, Salem: house, movie theater, school)

[MiddleCincinnati]

Could that clothing store near the Cincinnati Gardens have
been a Robert Hall? I seem to recall their having a branch
in the area.

[unctheel]

Robert Hall....that's it! Good memory!

[fhendrick]

Amazing to find your post all about my childhood neighborhood!

Quick question: The reason I was searching today was to find the exact address of Wong's (which, as you mention became Wing & Hing's Fortune Cookie in 1970). Wong's was their previous business, located, I think, on 6th street. Does anyone happen to know -- or know how to find out that address?

Thanks!

[deneals]

Thanks all for a great trip down memory lane!!
I'll add my own recollections after I've read this thread more carefully.

[deneals]

Originally Posted by unctheel

When the norwood lateral was just being built, my brother and friends would play in the dirt piles & walk across the girders spanning Paddock Rd, much to the admonishment of my mother: "Don't go near the expressway." Now, as a parent, i understand the dangers of playing amongst the large dirt mounds and traversing the "naked" girders across the road below.

As a child, my parents took me to watch the fire department burn down, as practice, the large house on the west side of Reading Road that had to be demolished to make way for building the Norwood Lateral.

I remember being amazed at how hot it was at a good distance from the fire!

[deneals]

Originally Posted by unctheel

5th/3rd bank on the corner of Paddock & California...Presbyterian church catty corner to it. As for the N Lateral, some houses were razed, and the fire department burned a few of the ones in poorer condition in order to practice fighting blazes. I'm not sure what else was there before that (since my interest was not piqued until the construction began!). I was 8 or 9 at the time, I think. Great ice cream at Bordens, particularly the orange sherbet! The funky glass cubes made part of the building towards the top. Bond Hill extended over to Swifton village to Roselawn Park where we would put pennies on the train track and have the trains "flatten" them! I happened to be in Cincinnati this past week, taking my daughter up to Miami U. Fortunately they have Skyline in Oxford, but I also drove down to Cincy for a Frisch's Big Boy. People outside of Cincinnati don't get what a Frisch's Big Boy is, they equate Frisch's to Shoney's and there is no comparison because the special sauce is not the same. Didn't have time for White Castle or Graeters...maybe next trip! (Good thing I don't live there anymore!)

You can't mention the Paddock/California area without a mention of my favorite Chinese restaurant; The Tom House. It was on California a few blocks east of Paddock. They had a dish I'll never forget, called Shrimp ala Pacific. When we were kids, we'd get a taste of the parents' order. They claimed the dish was too expensive for us kids to order!

I drive to Cincinnati from St Louis several times a year. I always have to take the "southern route" westbound so I can bring Frisch's Super Big Boys home to my St Louis raised children. The last Frisch's along that route to St Louis is in Corydon, Indiana, 259.6 miles from my house!

[deneals]

Originally Posted by efkiss

....... Continuing toward Bond Hill on Reading Road were a few streets that we referred to as Debbie Lane; I remember sitting on the swings there.

I was told that the street and area called Debbie Lane was named for the developer's daughter, Debbie.
Funny thing is, she married a guy named Lane, so her married name actually became Debbie Lane!

[Linda Pratt]

Originally Posted by MiddleCincinnati

Capri Pizza, adjoining the fruit market at the southeast corner with
Tennessee. Capri moved to Norwood in the late 1970's, probably
closed down a few years later. The pizza was very much in the New York
style; the sauce had a unique flavor I have yet to experience anywhere
else.

Ah! If it's the same Capri Pizza, they are now at 7 Woodsdale Ave in Cincinnati 45216. I am acquainted with the owners!

Originally Posted by MiddleCincinnati

The Twin Drive-In, just north of the Norwood Lateral. Replaced by
indoor theaters in the 1980's. Residents of Lawn Avenue could see
the two-sided screen from their backyards.

I own a single family rental house on Lawn Ave (It's back yard butts up against the Showcase Cinemas property). It's a small house, but I'm amazed at the detail of craftsmanship that went into the building of the house. The brickwork is a work of art. In the basement is a large commercial ice box! I had The Wooden Nickel out to look at it!
Two streets over is Berkley, where the homes are much larger and even more decorative!
If you want to see a picture of the house, I have it on my website. You can see some of the brick work, but the fireplace inside is awesome!

[MiddleCincinnati]

Originally Posted by deneals

You can't mention the Paddock/California area without a mention of my favorite Chinese restaurant; The Tom House. It was on California a few blocks east of Paddock. They had a dish I'll never forget, called Shrimp ala Pacific. When we were kids, we'd get a taste of the parents' order. They claimed the dish was too expensive for us kids to order!

There was a brief mention of the Tom House in the original post to
this thread, but your recollections help to flush a few things out. We
occasionally carried out from the Tom House, but usually went to the
Mandarin for Chinese. In fact, I could not recall whether the Tom House
had seating, or was just a carry-out store.

Any idea what years they were in business?

[MiddleCincinnati]

Originally Posted by fhendrick

Quick question: The reason I was searching today was to find the exact address of Wong's (which, as you mention became Wing & Hing's Fortune Cookie in 1970). Wong's was their previous business, located, I think, on 6th street. Does anyone happen to know -- or know how to find out that address?

I never ate at Wong's, but seem to recall that they advertised in the
Enquirer from time to time. Hopefully someone who knows more will
post a reply. I did not realize that its owners had opened Wing and
Hing's.

One thing you could do is look through old editions of Williams' Cincinnati
City Directory. According to the reference librarian at the main library,
downtown, there are back editions available there. This is what I would
like to do, next chance I have to visit Cincinnati, to clear up some of my
own questions.