Saturday’s edition of the online New York Times included this feature article entitled “In Cincinnati, Life Breathes Anew in Riot-Scarred Area.”

The area in question is Over-the-Rhine, an area of over 1,000 brick nineteenth-century buildings that is as troubled as it is priceless. The article discussed the past years of tension, but it also strikes a hopeful tone, profiling groups such as 3CDC (known more exactly as the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation) working to generate reinvestment in the neighborhood.

Moving forward will require a delicate balance of interests, particularly if the historic character of the neighborhood is to be a guiding factor. Recently announced plans to add a parking garage to Cincinnati’s famed Music Hall, for instance, generated both positive and negative reviews, according to this article in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Earlier this year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed Over-the-Rhine on their list of the country’s most endangered historic sites – the third Ohio listing in fifteen years.

Photo:  Over-the-Rhine with Downtown Cincinnati in background/ekalb/Creative Commons License