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5 Mount Adams

Catch a Sunset

Statue of Father Quinn, one of the neighborhood’s mythic figures

BOUNDARIES: Celestial St., Martin Dr., Eden Park Dr., Ida St.

DISTANCE: 1.7 miles

DIFFICULTY: Moderate to strenuous

PARKING: Free street parking on St. Gregory St., Hill St., Jerome St., and other nearby streets

PUBLIC TRANSIT: The 1 bus line has stops along Parkside Dr., as well as Paradrome St. between Louden St. and Wareham Dr., both of which are points in the middle of this walk.

Mount Adams is a small tangle of streets lined with narrow, pristine old houses, all perched on a hill that offers some of the best views of the city. Surrounded by highways on three sides and Eden Park on the other, its isolation has always been part of its character—most days, Mount Adams offers its charms inside a blanket of pleasant quiet. Historically home to German and Irish Catholics, since 1950 Mount Adams has witnessed an influx of hippies, yuppies, empty nesters, and young families. Now, its views and proximity to downtown make homes there some of the most sought-after (and expensive) real estate in the city.

Eden Park contains some of the city’s most visited attractions: the Cincinnati Art Museum, Playhouse in the Park, and the Krohn Conservatory. Mount Adams itself is probably most known to outsiders for its active nightlife, drawing young professionals from all over the city each weekend to its bars and restaurants.

This walk is best done on a sunny day so you can fully enjoy the various lovely views and sights. Spring and fall are especially wonderful times to see the park and the well-groomed gardens of the neighborhood. Mount Adams is one of the hilliest parts of the city—one of the reasons Cincinnati has earned the nickname San Francisco of the Midwest—so make sure you wear some comfortable shoes and are prepared for a few steep areas. If you come in the late afternoon, don’t miss the chance to finish your walk with a bite to eat at one of the famous Mount Adams pubs.

Walk Description

Begin on St. Gregory Street between Jerome and Hill Streets. On the east side of St. Gregory, take the stone stairs (Mt. Adams Steps) up. There are about 90 steps; this should be the steepest portion of the entire walk, so take your time and, on the landings, feel free to turn around and note the incredible view emerging behind you.

Look above you: you’re approaching the Holy Cross Immaculata Church. About 150 years ago, shortly after this church was first completed in 1860 (then the Church of the Immaculate Conception, home to the hill’s German Catholics), a tradition known as “praying the steps” was begun. On Good Friday, pilgrims begin on Adams Crossing, cross Columbia Parkway, and slowly ascend the hill, ending with the steps you’re climbing now, silently praying the rosary (one prayer on each step). This tradition is unique in Cincinnati and rare throughout the world.

At the top of the stairs, admire the view of downtown Cincinnati over the rooftops—you’re at one of the highest points in the city. From here, go left around the church and begin to follow Guido Street. You’ll pass the former rectory and school on your right.

When you reach Pavilion Street, glance to your left to see some of the main business strip; we’ll return to that later. Instead, turn right on Pavilion. Ahead, as you continue forward, Pavilion will curve to the left and become Carney Street; walk on the left side to stay on the sidewalk and continue. For the next few blocks, headed mostly downhill, observe the colorful siding of the homes and the range of architectural styles. This is residential Mount Adams today: wealthy, private, filled with neat gardens and creeping ivy, settled closely together, intrinsically urban. Between the buildings to your right, you’ll catch more glimpses of wonderful river views.

Turn right on Parkside Place. You are now walking along the borders of Eden Park.

Just before reaching Martin Drive, turn left on the small service road that is roped off to cars. Continue up the service road as you pass Mirror Lake to your right. Initially built as a reservoir, some of the remnants can be seen on the south side of the park. If you want to add a little distance to the walk, this is a great spot to loop around the lake and enjoy Eden Park, named after Nicholas Longworth’s estate, which he called the Garden of Eden.

Continue along the road through two brick constructions and toward the back side of Seasongood Pavilion, built in 1959 and named after Cincinnati Mayor Murray Seasongood, who served 1926–1930. Walk around either side of the pavilion and continue up the path that goes through the middle of the grassy natural amphitheater. Many live music and theater events happen here, especially in the summer.

At the top of the bowl, you’ll reach Art Museum Drive. If you look to your right, you’ll see the Cincinnati Art Museum. The original building, which can’t be seen from this view but which you can admire if you follow the driveway that leads off to the left around the new additions, was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. The museum’s collections include some 60,000 works, and admission is free. Stop and peruse a few galleries if you have time, or continue your walk by turning left at the top of the amphitheater.

Follow Art Museum Drive away from the museum as the road curves around the hill. Continue right at the fork; do not turn left on Mt. Adams Drive.

Turn left on Ida Street. You’re reentering the Mount Adams neighborhood, and to your right you will again see the beautiful narrow houses hanging off the side of the hill.

Turn left on Paradrome Street. On the corner here you’ll see a staircase leading to your left up the hill; a short distance down Paradrome Street, you’ll be able to look up and see a fine view of the beautiful Playhouse in the Park, which is at the top. Not quite visible from here are the Mount Adams playground and pool, which are hidden off to the right of the Playhouse.

Turn right on Wareham Drive, and then immediately turn left to continue on Paradrome Street.

Turn right on Louden Street. As you walk slightly uphill, you’re nearing the main area for businesses and nightlife.

Turn right on Hatch Street. Here on the corner you’ll find the Mt. Adams Bar & Grill, a former speakeasy that was the first establishment in Ohio to obtain a liquor license after Prohibition was repealed in 1933. If you step inside, you’ll appreciate the elaborate old bar and gorgeous wooden paneling. Just next door to the bar, you can creep down some steps and through a low-ceilinged alleyway to enter the peculiar garden and live music of The Blind Lemon; first, stop to see the plaque on the wall near the entrance that lists famous historical guests.

Outside the Blind Lemon, cross Hatch Street and begin to walk up St. Gregory Street. To your right you’ll see the impressive Academy at St. Gregory building. Designed by H. E. Siter and built as a public school in 1894, it was converted to host the Cincinnati Art Academy in the 1980s (which had previously occupied a building adjacent to the Art Museum in Eden Park). In 2005 the Art Academy moved to its current location in Over-the-Rhine, and this building has most recently been converted into 14 upscale condominiums.

Up St. Gregory Street a little, on the left, is a former firehouse that now houses Longworth’s, a large and popular bar, restaurant, and nightclub.

As you turn right on Pavilion Street, on the corner you’ll find the Bow Tie Café, a charming coffee shop and café that was opened by former NFL player Dhani Jones in 2010. After his friend Kunta Littlejohn was diagnosed with lymphoma, Jones started rocking Littlejohn-style bow ties to show his support, and now his Bow Tie Cause line of ties supports various charities like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

As you head up the stair-stepped brick sidewalk, take a look at the statue of the wine-sloshing monk on the patio. He’s called Father Quinn by the locals and is a tribute to one of Mount Adams’s mythic figures: Father Quinn is said to have brought provisions to the needy during the brutal winter of 1888.

Turn right on St. Paul Place. In front of you is the Holy Cross Monastery building, on a site that has been important in Mount Adams’s history.

Originally called Mount Ida, after a washerwoman who was said to have lived there in the base of a sycamore tree, the entire area of Mount Adams was purchased by Longworth in 1831. He turned the barren, deforested land into a vineyard, on his way to becoming the first commercially successful winemaker in the United States. Later, he donated 4 acres at the top of the hillside to be made into an observatory (supposedly with a mind to increase his property’s value). John Quincy Adams, in one of his last public speeches, presided over the dedication of the Cincinnati Observatory in 1843, and this is why the hill was redubbed Mount Adams.

The original observatory building was moved to Mount Lookout in 1873 to escape the air pollution from downtown, and the site in Mount Adams became home to the Holy Cross Monastery and Church. The building you’re looking at was completed in 1901 and served as a monastery until 1977. The Holy Cross Church served the Irish immigrants of the hill, and later the parish combined with the German parish of the Immaculate Conception to become the Holy Cross Immaculata that you saw at the beginning of this tour, on the other end of Pavilion Street.

The monastery building is one of several Mount Adams buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and today it houses commercial office space and an event center.

Turn left on Monastery Street and head down the hill. As you bear left on Celestial Street, you’ll see wide views opening ahead of you again. Continue to bear left and carefully cross Celestial Street to the right side—only when you are safely past the intersection; traffic can approach quickly here.

On your right is The Rookwood, an upscale bar and restaurant. It is located in the former studio and factory of the famous Rookwood Pottery Company, started in 1880 by Maria Longworth Nichols Storer, granddaughter of Nicholas Longworth, mentioned earlier. Rookwood Pottery was an important American brand, designed to be both decorative and useful, and some of its original tiles and pieces are still found in houses and institutions throughout Cincinnati. Although Rookwood Pottery went through some rough patches, it has returned to Cincinnati and now operates in Over-the-Rhine (see Walk 3).

Just past The Rookwood, continue straight into the parking lot of Highland Towers and walk to the end of the lot. Here you’ll see an unrivaled view of downtown and the river. You’re standing on the site that used to be the top of the Mount Adams Incline, the fourth of five inclines that connected Cincinnati to the surrounding hillside neighborhoods. Built in the 1870s and open until 1948, the incline carried passengers, cars, and buggies to the top of the hill, and it brought great growth to Mount Adams. The Incline remained a popular tourist attraction, as folks from the city rode up to eat, drink, and dance at the legendary Highland House.

By midcentury, Mount Adams was mostly home to blue-collar workers, and the neighborhood had fallen into disrepair; redevelopment and renovation began in the 1960s and started the upturn that the area is still experiencing today. Highland Towers, the high-rise apartment building to your left, was built on the site of the old Highland House in 1963.

Walk back across the parking lot to Celestial Street, turn right, and continue. Turn left on Jerome Street, still paved with brick, and head slightly uphill once more. When Jerome Street ends, turn right on St. Gregory Street to return to your starting point.

Points of Interest

Holy Cross Immaculata Church 30 Guido St., 513-721-6544, 2011.hciparish.org

Mirror Lake Eden Park, cincinnatiparks.com/eden-park

Seasongood Pavilion Eden Park, cincinnatiparks.com/eden-park

Cincinnati Art Museum 953 Eden Park Dr., 513-721-2787, cincinnatiartmuseum.org

Playhouse in the Park 962 Mt. Adams Cir., 513-421-3888, cincyplay.com

Mt. Adams Bar & Grill 938 Hatch St., 513-621-3666, mtadamsbarandgrill.com

The Blind Lemon 938 Hatch St., 513-241-3885, theblindlemon.com

Academy at St. Gregory 1125 St. Gregory St., condokey.com/academy

Longworth’s 1108 St. Gregory St., 513-873-3850

Bow Tie Café 1101 St. Gregory St., 513-621-2233, bowtiecafe.com

Holy Cross Monastery 1055 St. Paul Pl.

The Rookwood 1077 Celestial St., 513-721-5088, rookwood.com

Highland Towers 1071 Celestial St., 513-241-2121, highlandtowersmtadams.com