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7 Clifton Heights, University Heights, and Fairview

Heights, Flights, and Hidden Sights

St. George’s is a prominent architectural presence at W. McMillan and Ravine Streets.

BOUNDARIES: Vine St., Calhoun St., Ohio Ave., Park Dr., Warner St., Ravine St., Fairview Rd., W. McMillan St., Clifton Ave.

DISTANCE: 3.3 miles

DIFFICULTY: Strenuous

PARKING: Parking in this part of town is a challenge. If you must drive instead of taking the bus, hailing a car, or riding a bike, there are sidewalk meters in the business district and free spots the farther you get from the center. One of these garages will gladly take your cash in exchange for a covered parking spot: Calhoun Garage (240 Calhoun St.), University Park Apartments Parking (238 Calhoun St.), USquare East Garage (211 Calhoun St.), USquare West Garage (301 Calhoun St.), and 121 West McMIllan St.

PUBLIC TRANSIT: Metro buses (go-metro.com) serve this area. Cincinnati Red Bike (cincyredbike.org) has nearby bicycle rental stations at 123 Calhoun and Dennis Streets and 166 W. McMillan and W. Clifton Streets, and elsewhere closer to UC.

This walk covers the hilltop neighborhood of Clifton Heights, University Heights, and Fairview immediately south of the University of Cincinnati (UC) main campus. It includes captivating views of the Cincinnati skyline, a slew of historic structures, hidden pathways, and food options at a variety of multicultural eateries. CUF, the official acronym used to describe the three communities that compose it, is often confused with Clifton, which is located north of UC and featured separately in this book in Walk 8. CUF is largely a rental area and functions as off-campus student housing. The busy business area of W. McMillan and Calhoun Streets between Vine Street and Clifton Avenue has changed dramatically over the past decade, while the residential sections south of W. McMillan remain remarkably intact and full of Italianate architecture in dense blocks. A generous helping of public space for leisure and recreation rounds out CUF’s amenities.

Walk Description

Begin at Inwood Park near the southeast corner of Vine and E. Hollister Streets. The 20-acre park is a former stone quarry that was the source for many of the earliest buildings in Clifton Heights, originally an area called Rohs Hill. Walk through here now or explore its features following Walk 4: Mount Auburn. Across the street at 2347 Vine St. is the building that served as the headquarters of the International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal and Soft Drink Workers from 1886 to 1973. Previously, in pre-Civil War days, the site was home to the Rohs and Co. Brewery. Today it is Ikron, a social services nonprofit organization.

Make your way uphill on Vine Street, and turn left at Pitt Street, the steepest alleyway in Cincinnati. Motor vehicles have never had through-access to W. McMillan Street above. Note the gaslights and brick sidewalks, including two former alley homes now part of Hollister Triangle Park. Nestled within the block bound between W. Hollister, W. McMillan, and Vine Streets, the pocket park was created as an accessible public space in 1979 through a plan to rehabilitate numerous residential properties on the block. Continue uphill on the cobblestone walkway to W. McMillan Street. To the right is Melbourne Flats (39 W. McMillan St.), built in 1898 and one of five structures in CUF on the National Register of Historic Places.

Use the crosswalk at W. McMillan Street and continue upward on Scioto Lane to Calhoun Street. Opposite Calhoun is the breathtaking St. George’s Catholic Church, built in 1973 as the highest point in CUF for more than 100 years. Acclaimed Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford designed the building in the Romanesque Revival style. Due to declining membership, the parish was consolidated with St. Monica’s and closed in 1993. A fire destroyed both steeples in 2008. Crossroads Church acquired the property and renovated it, rebuilding the steeples to scale.

Make a left on Calhoun Street and approach this rare collection of surviving 19th-century buildings that serve as a reminder of the historic commercial district that once dominated here. On the left is the second location of 43-year-old Mole’s Record Exchange. A few more doors down is Floyd’s of Cincinnati Restaurant, which serves Middle Eastern specialties in a casual dining area.

At the end of the block, make a left on Ohio Avenue. Third Protestant Memorial Church (2510 Ohio Ave.) is the former location of the first German congregation in Cincinnati that dated back to 1814. Founded in Over-the-Rhine, it relocated several times before moving up the hill to Clifton Heights, due to anti-German hysteria during World War I and a dwindling congregation. The church disbanded in 2001, and the building currently houses retailer Urban Outfitters.