Meanwhile at the Museum

We toured the Cincinnati Museum Center yesterday, and while these aren't ads, they are faded, and thusly, pretty cool.

The 5 and 6? This was a parking garage back when Union Terminal was primarily a train station. 

Always good advice.

More parking information.

The Other Side

Longworth Hall.  The other side featured here.

Shaft!(Way)

We've seen that term elsewhere too.

Guess

Can you guess where these "ghost signs" are?

Answer comes tomorrow.

Forgetful

Three years ago, we ran in the Redlegs 5K, and noticed this sign, along Mehring Way.  We made a note of it, and promptly forgot about it, because the front of the building was much more noticeable.

Until this year, when running in the Redslegs 5K, when we saw it again.

Bankrupt

This one is soon to be lost.  The building will be torn down, and a new Drop-Inn Center, a homeless shelter, built in its place.

The complex also contains this.

Model Village

At the Cincinnati Museum Center, there is an enormous representation of a few of Cincinnati's neighborhoods.  It's a period piece, looking to be set in the 1940's, or thereabouts.  And throughout the Downtown section, there are, yes, tiny representations of what would be ghost signs.

We looked, but didn't see any that are still there today.  Those shown here are on buildings that no longer stand, IRL.

Misnamed

Zoom in.

To be fair, the Underground Sports Shop, all three stories of it, is still in business.  And they probably do still receive and ship at these doors.

Queensgate

Bridge Work

No, not the graffiti. Look beyond that.

And on the other side of the 8th Street railroad underpass.

So, who were McClintic-Marshall?  Just the guys who built the Golden Gate Bridge, which, as you may know, had as its chief engineer, a guy from Cincinnati.

A Brief History Lesson

 

If ghost signs aren't historical, and important, why does the "River City" exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center include this display of a wall dog painting one?  Hmmmmm?

 

If a historian feels it's an art form worth including in a historical display, perhaps we, today, should not be so quick to paint over them.

Here endeth the lesson.

Longworth Ghost Sign is Loooooooooooooooooong.

 

How we've gone this long without noticing this, is beyond me.

 

 

But, finally notice it, we did, while crossing the Brent Spence Bridge, as the sun was going down.

 

At more than a quarter mile in length, Longworth Hall is still one of the longest buildings in the country.

 

 

 

And it's still used, primarily as offices, although there have been nightclubs there.

 

Read some history at their website.

 

 

Related Thematic Bonus!

 

I paused to get a new picture of the chimney, when my eyes focused on something closer.  And it's not the Hostess trucks.

 

At Linn and Gest. 

I can think of one other law enforcement ghost sign.  Perhaps a new theme, if I discover more?

 

And, finally, this series was not timed to coincide with the anniversary of 9-11.  It just happened that way.

The Sun

The first time I saw this was in 2011, while I was running in the Redlegs 5K.  I went back last summer, having forgotten where exactly it was, and missed it each time I passed by.

And I think sometimes some signs disappear unless the sun is hitting them just right.

 

Update 4-27-13:

I had a dream last night where I ran a 5K, the first in about a year.  And I was doing fine, except when I stopped to take pictures of ghost signs.

 

I think I have a problem.

Budd Street

Redux

Seen this one before, but it's worth revisiting.  Nicely visible from the 8th Street Viaduct.

Making Up for Lost Time

Sometimes life travels fast, and days go by without a chance to update.  So, here's several signs from the same building: the Progress Sign Company, Queensgate.  AKA, Anchor something-or-other. 

Burns Street

Lower Price Hill.  Not long after this picture, someone had a scaffolding up against it.  Whether it was for cosmetic or structural repair is unclear.

A View from Three Sides

Queensgate, on the border with Camp Washington

Closer

South face

North face

And I think at least part of the building has been turned into condos.

Queensgate Reducks

This was originally featured in June, shot from the 8th Street Viaduct, as I was driving.  I knew there was more to it than what I could see at 35 mph, but didn't know how much more.

Queensgate

And what did H. Belmer do?

And driving by today, I noticed more faded signage from afar, which I missed close up.