Mid-century Reading Road (Cincinnati, Norwood, Deer Park: loan, design, budget)

[Gerri Ann]

Try this - www.cincinnativiews.net

[Gerri Ann]

When you click on that website, click on "business" to see the restaurants.

[MiddleCincinnati]

Originally Posted by Gerri Ann

Try this - www.cincinnativiews.net

That's a really nice set of postcard images.

The picture of the Wishing Well gives a good feel for how the building
stood. Judging by the cars in the lot, it looks like 1964 or thereabouts.

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by Gerri Ann

Try this - www.cincinnativiews.net

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a site

[goyguy]

Originally Posted by MiddleCincinnati

The picture of the Wishing Well gives a good feel for how the building
stood. Judging by the cars in the lot, it looks like 1964 or thereabouts.

Agreed. I remember the building, particularly the pale green exterior wall with the red "Wishing Well" lettering and the well logo at the Galbraith/Reading corner. The neon sign must've come down before sticking in my mind.
That's quite the treasure trove of post cards. From that site, I learned the name of the drive-in restaurant down the road a piece in Roselawn which is still standing: Webbie's. I don't recall that place's having been brought up in this discussion. It may not have lasted long in competition with Frisch's, which incidentally was originallyconsidered a "Mainliner" - as I'd thought - according to the site.
Businesses in the RR corridor may have changed over the years, but the buildings and signs had been constructed to last. When Udipi (now known as Amma's Kitchen) moved in where the Fortune Kookie had been, the owners left the sign in place on its stout black pole. They had plain white plastic panels put in to replace the Chinese restaurant's red-lettered yellow ones, and posted their own sign below them. Next door at what I now know was once Webbie's, the sturdy sign remains complete with the big arrow which wraps around the bottom and the right side (though the bulbs inside it have probably burned out.) The sign itself has been painted black, with "Phat Daddy's" inscribed in big white block letters. I have my doubts that the current establishment features uniformed carhops wearing roller skates, lol.
Another interesting post card relevant to RR was that of the La Ronde's cocktail lounge. I have zero recollection of the elaborate merry-go-round sculpture in the middle of the room. Then again, the lounge probably was separate from the restaurant, and the fact that my teetotaling parents would've passed it up when we went to the Carousel for the occasional occasion dinner would explain my absence of recall.
Thumbs up, way way up, to Gerri Ann for the link!

[Gerri Ann]

I thought you would enjoy it! I do remember the horse carousel in La Ronde - had quite a few adult beverages at that bar! And since owning the Well, Mom was never a teetotaler - God rest her soul, and liver!!! I thought the cards were way cool. Totally agree about the buildings being made to last - and some of their signs too. Pretty bizarre to see what has come into some of those old establishments. But I heard from another poster that Goyguy has had pretty neat City data events. Any truth to that rumor???

[goyguy]

Far be it from me to comment there
So far nobody has anything to say about Webbie's? Interesting.

[MiddleCincinnati]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Far be it from me to comment there
So far nobody has anything to say about Webbie's? Interesting.

The address for Webbie's is given as 7661 Reading Rd., and the
sketches of the cars in the lot maybe place it in the late 1940's.
This is approximately where Sand's restaurant and the Buccaneer
motel used to be in the late 1950's and the 60's, but I cannot
place Webbie's at all. Now there is a credit union on that spot.

There was a Parkmoor drive-in about a block to the north, just
across Summit. It last until the mid-late 1960's.

[Gerri Ann]

I remember the Bucaneer but not Webbie's or the Sands - sorry guess I was too young ;>

[blockhead]

My uncle used to stay at the Bucaneer, when he came up from Florida for extended visits. It was a dive. I know we ate a couple of times at the Sands, but can't really remember it.