Cincinnati historic photos (Mason, Norwood, Reading: insurance, loan, neighborhood)

[mike1003]

Just found this site:

Everything Klu

Moderator cut: multiple threads merged into one

[mike1003]

And a picture of Big Klu

[mike1003]

But, I think that this is the original UDF

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by mike1003

But, I think that this is the original UDF

Cool pic either way.

[goyguy]

It was in Norwood, right?

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by goyguy

It was in Norwood, right?

Yes, I remember going there, just cant remember location other than Norwood

[mike1003]

So here is a new pic:

[mike1003]

This has been a fun and nostalgic afternoon

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by goyguy

It was in Norwood, right?

Yes it was, that is where they started in a neighborhood ice cream store. Ironically Cincinnati did not permit their stores in the City limits. I think it had to do with union regulations concerning the processing of milk, in other words keep the small guy out. So they proceeded to just ring the City with UDF stores outside of the limits. If I am correct, they also bought the old French Bauer Ice Cream plant in the City to get capacity, even though they could not sell the product in the City for years.

Carl Lindner Jr, Robert, Richard, and Dorothy opened the first UDF in Norwood in 1940. And I don't think they ever looked back.

Carl owned the Cincinnati Reds and Enquirer for awhile and the Provident Bank. I believe he had to sell his interest in the Enquirer and the bank due to a conflict of interest. Also had a major interest in Kings Island through his holdings in Taft Broadcasting. His best known company is American Financial, a diversified banking and insurance operation. They also owned Chiquita Bannana which they divested of after Carl's death.

Some of the early endeavors following UDF were Hunter Savings & Loan and Thriftway Markets. For a while you could find a strip center all over Cincy which had a Hunter Savings & Loan and UDF at one end and a Thriftway Market at the other. As they grew Carl bought a construction company in Texas to build the actual stores and also started an insurance company to provide casualty insurance to the businesses and health and group life to the employees. He never missed a beat. Everything he touched turned into a separate business.

Carl was one of the biggest benefactors to the University of Cincinnati, even though he himself dropped out of school at age 14 during the great depression. I had a good family friend who worked for one of Carl's subsidiary companies. He said Carl had a mind like a vise, he never forgot anything. He said Carl could remark in a meeting, yes look into that. He said a year later in another meeting Carl would suddenly look at you and ask what did you ever determine about this subject we said to look into last year? He said that would scare the pants off of anyone.

Carl and Edith Lindner were among the founding members of the Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy at the intersection of Snider and E. Kemper Rds in northern Cincinnati. They founded the Lindner Center of Hope, a mental health research facility in Mason. They also founded the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, site of an annual world class professional mens and womens tennis tournament. One of the greatest philanthropic benefactors this city has ever seen.

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Yes it was, that is where they started in a neighborhood ice cream store. Ironically Cincinnati did not permit their stores in the City limits. I think it had to do with union regulations concerning the processing of milk, in other words keep the small guy out. So they proceeded to just ring the City with UDF stores outside of the limits. If I am correct, they also bought the old French Bauer Ice Cream plant in the City to get capacity, even though they could not sell the product in the City for years.

.

Cincinnati kept UDF out by setting a butter fat % content on ice cream. Lindner opened his shops in Norwood, St Barnard, Reading, Golf Manor, etc