Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine Is a Master Class in Neighborhood Revival

Over-the-Rhine, one of the largest historic districts in the country, has become Cincinnati's showcase neighborhood, its nineteenth-century Italianate architecture now housing a dense hub of restaurants, shops, breweries, and nightlife. The transformation from decline to destination is among the most dramatic urban revivals in the Midwest.

The district's appeal lies in the density and detail preserved in its building stock, blocks of ornate facades that give the neighborhood a texture new construction cannot replicate. Walkable and layered, it invites the kind of aimless exploration that suburban development forecloses.

The revival carries the familiar tensions of success, from rising rents to questions about who the reborn neighborhood serves. But as a place to spend a day or an evening, Over-the-Rhine has few peers in the region.