Word was received this morning about a pledge drive aiming to make the difference for a key building in the Over-the-Rhine district of Cincinnati.

The building in question is the “Meiners Flats.” According to the Cincinnati Preservation Association, the structure “…at 1502 Vine Street was built c. 1875 by a family of German-American stonemasons as an investment. With an intricately carved stone façade, “The Big One” was a giant five-story advertisement for their business. For two decades, the magnificent Neo-Grec-style edifice has been empty, a sad presence on a hard-luck street. A series of owners have tried, and failed, to make it work. So rain and snow blew through missing windows. Wood sagged and bricks fell. Last month the City, fearing for the public’s safety, barricaded the sidewalk. Soon it could meet the fate of so many others in OTR: an empty lot.”

In response to this impending loss, an enterprising approach has been devised where individual pledges are being accepted to create a pool of funds to in turn leverage private and public funds for emergency repairs and stabilization. This is not an investment with a rate of return – this is an expression of direct support where your dollars can actually make the difference between a future and a wrecking ball for a significant piece of Cincinnati history. Pledges must be raised by April 23, so time is of the essence.

For more information, and to make a pledge, click on one of these two links (each represents a differing pledge amount):

www.pledgebank.com/Over-the-Rhine or www.pledgebank.com/1500Vine

Photo: Meiners Flats, Windows Live Local