Mid-century Reading Road (Cincinnati, Washington, Avon: for rent, car insurance, condos)

[jayboydog]

i can still remember many of the phone numbers of my childhood friends. our 242-2481 was simliar to the ablee theater's on 5th street 241-2481. frequently callers wanted to know what was playing! i suppose they did not have the amusements page from the enquirer or the post & times star. the post & times star was folded into a square for the afternoon home delivery. there are several old maps of cincinnati online. search "historic maps cincinnati". one which i especially like is a New York Central RR map from 1921.

[veteran observer]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Welcome aboard, RK!
Being from Wyoming and of a certain age, we probably have common acquaintances since some of my classmates' parents had relocated from Roselawn.
Adath Israel did build its temple on Galbraith, just east of Ridge Rd. How high is the ceiling in that sanctuary anyway? (lol) I think their decision to build there rather than on Summit played no small part in the neighborhood's demographic transition. When the Catholic church on Eastlawn closes this summer, Roselawn Lutheran will be the last majority-White congregation in the community, and it's a pretty small one.
My pediatrician started out in the Roselawn Center building (on the Brookcrest side) before relocating to 8040 Reading Rd. I have a lot of memories of that area and hate seeing how it's slipped downward from the way it was in the '60s and '70s. Sadder still is the knowledge that the crime problems spawned by all the now-Section 8 apartment buildings, and the now-flophouses north of Summit Rd, have too many people equating that and the current racial composition of the neighborhood with "bad place to stay away from." Roselawn Pharmacy wouldn't be putting up its own building (at Reading Rd and Northwood), and Song Long would've had to move, if that were the case. Although some houses are in deplorable fixer-upper condition, most of the side streets - particularly south of Section Rd - look as nice as ever. And the long-overdue demolition of Swifton Village (I still call it that, so there) and renovation of the former Swifton Shopping Center, now Jordan Crossing, can't help but do good.

Actually, its a GOOD place to stay away from. Roselawn Pharmacy and
Song Long are anamolies. Count the number of businesses from that area
that uprooted for other areas or just threw their hands up in the air and closed up. The specific businesses have been hashed and rehashed here.
Hold all the presidential elections you want, but leopards don't change their spots. I don't think I would be wrong (and I wish records were available to support my contention) that in this decade there are more police runs in the 45237 zip code in any one MONTH then there were in any one YEAR in the 1950s. Changing demographics made sure its not "Pleasantville" any more.

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by jayboydog

our 242-2481 was simliar to the ablee theater's on 5th street 241-2481.

My childhood phone number was 761-1272. You'd be surprised how many people tried to get Valley Theater show times from us during the '60s and '70s. How could anyone think they were calling 761-1222 on a rotary-dial phone, but reaching our line, we often asked ourselves.

[dsheldman]

The buffet on Reading Road was the Old Farm Smorgasteria. After that it became a slot car racing place (early 60's) for small electric slot cars and after that a shoe store. It changed businesses every few years.

[dsheldman]

Can you list the stores that were located at Swifton in order if you walked the mall? Some left sooner than others but the majority stayed a long time.

[MiddleCincinnati]

Originally Posted by goyguy

How could anyone think they were calling 761-1222 on a rotary-dial phone, but reaching our line, we often asked ourselves.

Those rotaries may not have been as reliable as we take for
granted with the touch-tones. I can recall, as a child, repeatedly
calling 721-1700 to get the time of day ("Shillito's time") but,
instead, always getting 721-2700, the switchboard at the
Enquirer.

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by dsheldman

Can you list the stores that were located at Swifton in order if you walked the mall? Some left sooner than others but the majority stayed a long time.

I believe that this was done in the Swifton Center thread

[goyguy]

No one's done the same thing for the Valley Shopping Center yet, though.

[blockhead]

Hey goyguy,

That would be quite a challenge. What I remember most is sitting in my friend's Pontiac GTO at the far end of the Valley Shopping Center, drinking Sloe Gin out of a bottle, when I was 16. Can't hardly remember any stores. Except, my mother was a real estate agent, and she worked for Gertrude Friedman, who was located in the office building across the Valley Shopping center parking lot from the theatre. Seems like there was a restaurant down at the far end of the center, but I can't remember it...Maybe a pizza place?

[wilson1010]

I guess most of this thread has to do with Reading Road north of Clinton Springs. In the 50's there was a thriving neighborhood of black owned businesses in the area south of Clinton Springs all the way down to the Sears store which was then at Lincoln and Reading.

My father made it a point to visit the leather man (who repaired leather products other than shoes) the knife man (who had a little shop for sharpening tools of all kinds) and the fishmonger ( who had fresh caught fish from the rivers and ponds around town). Of course, I'm sure all those little shops had names, but I was a child in tow and took no notice of them. What I did take notice of was that we were always the only white people in the stores and got some favorable attention as a result of it. These were family owned and operated and there was always a man in charge. I don't remember any others right now.