Colerain Avenue 1970 (Cincinnati, Hamilton, Fairfield: home, college, camp)

[beercanchuck]

This has been done with both Montgomery Road and Reading Road in the past on this board. Anyone want to help with what Colerain Avenue looked like in the early 70's.

[deg1114]

I can tell you where Colrain and 275 meet, it wasn't built up as much. Northgate Mall was one of "the" malls in town and there was Johnny Bench's Home Plate a restaurant that was shaped like home plate and is now occupied by TGI Fridays.

[kjbrill]

Remembrances of Colerain? Now why in the world would anyone want to remember that? The current Colerain is a non-desrcipt section of road with nothing to distinguish it. The only peoiple who would have fond memories of Colerain are those who were forced to grow up along its boundaries. You always remember where you grew up, since these are your only memories.

Colerain and Beechmont, the few places where West meets East, neither one of which has much to crow about.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Remembrances of Colerain? Now why in the world would anyone want to remember that? The current Colerain is a non-desrcipt section of road with nothing to distinguish it. The only peoiple who would have fond memories of Colerain are those who were forced to grow up along its boundaries. You always remember where you grew up, since these are your only memories.

Colerain and Beechmont, the few places where West meets East, neither one of which has much to crow about.

You probably didn't mean for your note to sound so condescending, but "why in the world", "the only people" and "forced to grow up" really sounds insulting. I'd put my parents' educational and professional achievements up against yours any day. I'd also put the nice home on a six-acre lot where I grew up up against yours any day. Yeah, Colerain Avenue now is an unpleasant, nondescript commercial strip in economic decline. And it was nothing special back in the day, either. It may not be beautiful, east-side Madiera, but that's no reason to attack or demean the people who grew up in the area, or those who chose to raise their kids there. So shut up with the insults.

Incidentally, those are not my only memories, either. I had plenty of exposure to greater Cincinnati's downtown and its finer cultural amenities like weekly trips to hear the CSO in Music Hall.

[kjbrill]

Sarah... Sorry if I rang your bell too hard. If you want to expouse upon your childhood growing up in the area, please due so. Did I specifically attack your family or anyone else who grew up in the area? Did I say everyone who grew up in the environs were mentally deficient? I don't think so. The fact is the Colerain area has been going downhill for years. If you want to argue against this fine.

You may want to consider it an insult, but to me it is simply a fact. Colerain Ave and Beechmont are simply living examples of how being inside the city boundaries can stifle the ambitions of everyone they touch. And these would be considered the suburbs? So much for city government.

[skippercollector]

I don't remember 1970, but I remember when Northgate Mall opened in 1972--I was 11. We went to the grand opening.
The three details I recall most clearly were:
1. Sitting in traffic on Colerain waiting to get into the mall. I suspect Colerain Township hadn't expected such a large turnout.
2. The huge crowd inside the mall waiting for the giveaways. Someone threw out Winnie-the-Pooh toys to the children. Another person gave away "Winnie-the-Pooh for President" posters. The reason I know this is because my sister got them and the poster hung in her bedroom for years.
3. Going upstairs to Pogue's (or was it Mabley & Carew?) and walking over to its balcony restaurant and looking down at the mall below.

[goyguy]

I remember the grand opening of Northgate also - now it seems like a "grand closing" is going on there. As was done at Tri-County, J C Penney bailed out and relocated not too far north in a new and generically-named mall. (Then again, what kind of name is "Northgate" if not generic?) The Goyguy Sr's, in their never-ending quest for bargains, were all over Dillard's last year when that store called it quits.
I, too, recall Johnny Bench's Home Plate - but only from the outside. What may have been the only local franchise of Minnie Pearl's Fried Chicken was located not far down the road on the same (west) side of the street. Since this was back in the days of neon lighting and "descriptive" signage, you couldn't miss this fast-food place. Atop its sign was a big drawing of Minnie Pearl herself, in her trademark straw hat with the large dangling price tag.
I'm also old enough to recollect when 275 had yet to open and when everyone traveling north on Colerain had no choice but to negotiate the twisty turny hilly stretch of road between Kemper Rd and the Great Miami River. Though I loved riding along roads like this I'm sure they were the bane of many a trucker. This was also way back when much of Colerain Twp remained rural and Springdale Rd was as far as the subdivisions had reached. When in the area last year I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was still a "BEVIS" sign in place, despite suburban and mall sprawls' long since having taken over the farmland. Does anybody mention Bevis in conversations or name that as where they live or do business? Didn't think so! And a couple of miles beyond there, at the once-humming intersection of Kemper and Colerain, few reminders of "DUNLAP" are there. The onetime Dunlap Fire Dept is now known as a district or zone station for the township. A barn and the old store still stand at the southeast corner opposite the firehouse, but Diefenbacher's (sp?) Dunlap Market is long gone. Well and fondly do I recall the fresh-pressed apple cider in big glass jugs from there, which was an eagerly awaited seasonal treat every autumn. Lima beans have never tasted as good as the plump n' "meaty" ones from Diefenbacher's, either. I think what keeps the landscape unchanged thereabouts is that the ever-expanding "Mt Rumpke" landfill looms not far to the east.
What I can't add to this thread is any input about non-suburban Colerain from Galbraith Rd south to Cumminsville. East-siders like me rarely if ever traveled that part of the road. So I hope folks from White Oak, Camp Washington, and Mt Airy will join in.

[deg1114]

Why in the world would I want to remember that? I guess because I grew up in Ross and Northgate was the closest shopping mall. Ross wasn't a very big town (still isn't) and our choices for eating and shopping were Hamilton, Fairfield, and Northgate. We would occasionally go to Oxford or Harrison, but there wasn't much there either.

I lived at home when I was in college and it was the same. Sure, we would hit the bars in Oxford but we would also hit Northgate and go to Bombay Bicycle Club or CD World to pick up some music. Both of those were located across from Northgate Mall on Colerain.

So to answer the question, it was part of my childhood. It was a lot different in the mid to late 70's but memories are what you make of them.

[goyguy]

I liked Ross better when its focal point was the Venice Pavilion in its big pink building. 'tain't the same since the building was painted charcoal gray and converted to an "antiques mall."
What is the deal with Ross/Venice anyway? I know it's Ross Township around there, but nobody can seem to agree on what the town anchored by Route 128 and Colerain Pike should be known as.

[Joeytraveler]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Colerain Ave and Beechmont are simply living examples of how being inside the city boundaries can stifle the ambitions of everyone they touch. And these would be considered the suburbs? So much for city government.

Doesn't every major commercial road come out from the city? How does Colerain Ave. starting in the city have anything to do with what's going on in Colerain township?