Cincinnati Sunrise and Walnut Hills [34 Photos]

Cincinnati Sunrise and Walnut Hills [34 Photos]

Waking up to a Cincinnati, Ohio sunrise is always magical. From the rising run over the Ohio River to the warming skyscrapers of downtown, there is always something new to witness and experience. Come before sunrise and you’ll take in “blue hour,” or when the skies turn into dramatic shades of lavender and fuchsia as the sun creeps up to the horizon.


The following were taken from Mt. Adams, a hilltop neighborhood that offers sweeping panoramic vistas to the west and south.


Walnut Hills is a residential and commercial neighborhood and was named for Walnut Hill, the farm of early settler Reverend James Kemper. It is home to the highly ranked Walnut Hills High School, Eden Park, Cincinnati Art Museum and the Krohn Conservatory.

The Alms Hotel (or Hotel Alms) is located at Victory Parkway and William Howard Taft Road. The hotel was opened in 1891 by Frederick Alms, whose own house was across the street. A larger 11-story tower, designed by Samuel Hannaford & Sons in the Chicago School architectural style, was constructed in 1925. Radio stations WKRC and later WAIF were once located inside.


Nearby is the Peebles’ Corner Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Centered around East McMillan Street and Gilbert Avenue, Peebles’ Corner is named after the first branch of the Joseph R. Peebles’ & Sons Company grocery store that opened at the northeast corner in 1883. The name Peebles’ Corner was well used early on, especially after the store owners convinced conductors to announce the store as a stop on Cincinnati’s streetcars. The area was previously known as Kay’s Corner after the W.L. Kay & Company grocers on the southeast corner.

Peebles’ & Sons closed in 1931 during the Great Depression. The sub-neighborhood declined after the riots of 1967 and today remains one of the city’s most impoverished regions. Recent redevelopment efforts have taken ground, with several rehabilitation projects underway and many more to come in the next few years.


More Cincinnati photos to come!