West End is a neighborhood in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, United States, located northwest of

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

, east of Queensgate, west of

Over-the-Rhine Over-the-Rhine (often abbreviated as OTR) is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Historically, Over-the-Rhine has been a working-class neighborhood. It is among the largest, most intact urban historic districts in the United State ...

, and southeast of Fairview. The population was 6,824 at the 2020 Census.

History

The historic West End was largely razed in the 1950s and 60s which lead to a very large drop in population from 68,000 in 1950 to 18,000 in 1970. This razing was done as part of a series of

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

projects and the construction of

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

. The largest of these urban renewal projects was the Kenyon-Barr Renewal Plan. This plan formed the industrial neighborhood Queensgate through razing of the Lower West End from 1959-1973. The Queensgate project was undertaken in phases over roughly four decades. Queensgate I resulted in an undistinguished but successful industrial park, which includes service industries, light manufacturing, transportation facilities and warehouses as well as offices, hotels and restaurants. I-75 and Queensgate I together made up the nation’s second largest so-called 'slum clearance' up to that time. Nearly 3,700 buildings on 450 acres were razed. 9800 families, 27,000 people— 97% of whom were Black—were displaced. The West End is the location of

City West City West (formerly known as ''Neuer Westen'' ("New West") or ''Zooviertel'' ("Zoo Quarter")) is an area in the western part of central Berlin. It is one of Berlin's main commercial areas, and was the commercial centre of former West Berlin when ...

, the largest housing development project in Cincinnati since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The project transformed the once low-income area into mixed-income development. In 1999 many of the blighted, cramped buildings were leveled to make way for new townhomes with ample parking. In 2007, part 1 crimes were down by 30% when compared to 1999. Controversy erupted in 2005 when plans were announced to open a $15-million "one-stop" social services facility at 800 Bank Street. The project, known as CityLink, would be the largest such facility in Cincinnati. Some argued that it would increase crime and poverty in the West End, decrease property value, and undermine the redevelopment there. Some even accused the city of trying to relocate the poor from the thriving Over-the-Rhine neighborhood to the West End. However, proponents argued that the West End's central location makes it easy for the poor to access. A lawsuit to stop the CityLink project failed, as did the subsequent appeal to the

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

. CityLink Center has since launched in 2013, serving over 3,000 Cincinnati residents since that time including over 250 from the West End neighborhood. Individuals engage in the center to advance their lives holistically through the integrated support of over 14 on-site agencies. The development of CityLink Center has not resulted in crime, development has actually further continued, and property values have increased. The West End is served by a branch of the

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) is a public library system in the United States. In addition to its main library location in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, CHPL operates 40 regional and branch locations throughout Hamil ...

TQL Stadium TQL Stadium, called West End Stadium during construction, is a soccer-specific stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home of FC Cincinnati, a Major League Soccer (MLS) team that had been temporarily playing at Nippert Stadium. The stadium is lo ...

, the home stadium of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

team

FC Cincinnati Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The ...

, is located in the neighborhood.

Demographics

The West End peaked in population in 1950 at 67,522 residents. Every census from then until 2010 the neighborhood dramatically declined in population. 6,824 live in the neighborhood as of the 2020 Census, representing an increase from the 2010 Census.

Historic architecture and districts

* Laurel Homes * Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave *

Dayton Street Historic District The Dayton Street Historic District is located in the Old West End neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was once known as "Millionaires' Row" for the prominent industrialists who resided in a row of opulent mansions built betwee ...

Betts–Longworth Historic District The Betts–Longworth Historic District is located just northwest of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. The district consists of a ten-block sub-neighborhood of the historic West End of Cincinnati that contains Federal, Italianate and Queen Anne sty ...

* Betts House, 416 Clark St * Washburn School (Now Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy West), 1425 Linn St * Former Lafayette-Bloom School, 1941 Baymiller St. * The Regal Theatre, Clark and Linn Street * The State Theatre, 1504 Central Ave * St. Joseph's Catholic School, 745 Ezzard Charles Dr. * Former Heberle Elementary School, 2009 Freeman Ave.

References

External links

Comprehensive West End Revitalization PlanOfficial CityLink site
*Ezzard Charles Drive, the Making of a Parkwa

{{coord, 39.1119444, -84.5252778, format=dms, display=title, type:city_region:US-OH West End, Cincinnati, Neighborhoods in Cincinnati

History

Demographics

Historic architecture and districts

References

Further reading

External links