Despite the overly industrial and gritty appearance of the highway overpasses and the noise that the passing automobiles create, there's a somewhat serene and beautiful urban environment below them. The area served as the setting for a scene in the 1993 rollerblading film; "Airborne."
Had they kept the vert ramp and other skating structures seen in the movie, maybe Cincinnati could've had a skate park similar to the FDR Skate Park in Philadelphia, constructed under I-95.
As I was walking beneath the overpasses along one of the central riverfront parking lots, I came across these abandoned booths. Once used to collect fees for parking, the process is all pretty much automated now. As I crept up to the booth seen below and looked in, I was startled by the man sleeping inside. I turned around and let him be, apologizing for waking him.
Stumbling upon the homeless man in the parking booth reminded me of a photograph I had taken in 2008. While shooting a "ride-along" story with the Cincinnati Police Department in February of that year, one of the officers took me behind the flood wall beneath one of the Ft. Washington Way approaches. What he showed me was what folks would've called a "Hooverville" during the Great Depression. The overpasses of the western riverfront often provide shelter.
Seen above, a path along the riverfront dotted with streetlights is fenced off. Climbing down and trudging through the weeds you can find remnants of old railroad tracks and the launching box the Cincinnati Reds use for home run and victory fireworks. I'm not sure what the path used to be for though or why the lights are there. Are they there from when Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field was still there or where they installed in anticipation of "The Banks?" Does anyone know?
How the path looked in 1988:
How the path looked in 1988:
- The area seen at the "present day" (4/13/10).
Previous Update :: April 7, 2010 - "Opening Day 2010"
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The abandoned lights, along with the riverfront path where temporarily put there in 2000 during constuction of Great American Ballpark. Access to Cinergy Field was restricted during that time and it allowed folks a way to get to the stadium.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to a aerial view of the riverfront from 2000, you can just make out the path.
ReplyDeletehttp://msrmaps.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=16&X=3578&Y=21651&W=1&qs=|cincinnati|ohio|
The Flying Pig Marathon goes right by the Speedway/SuperAmerica. It's not a bad area to do some running due to the low traffic on the weekends.
ReplyDeleteReally dig the Tall Stacks photo from '88 - it was a good fest that year. Almost makes me long for the old stadium.
ReplyDeleteThe rail line was part of the Cincinnati Street Connecting Railway, and formerly carried NW, DT&I and some other locos between the Oasis line and the tracks going out by the Whitewater line. It served the produce/goods warehouses where the stadiums are now at, and if you look at the CAGIS maps and historicaerials.com, you can see some locos on the tracks in the vicinity of the Paul Brown Stadium as far back as... 1996. The line wasn't really abandoned until around 2000, and now has been partially dismantled.
ReplyDeleteQuite sad. That is one move that effectively killed off true west-east commuter rail.
Wow. I've lived in Cincy my entire life, but sometimes I wonder if I can really see it. I feel like I'm looking, but not seeing.
ReplyDeleteThe pic from 1988 brings back some awesome memories.
Tamia
TheStyleSample
Very nice shots, you really captured the moments perfectly.
ReplyDelete