Over-the-Rhine, a 319 acre neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, has gone through a lot of change in its nearly 200-year history. In the 1830s, German immigrants began to move to the city, congregating on its north side, eventually building a community that, by 1883, Harper’s magazine called “considerably more German than Germany itself.” By that time, it was one of the most densely packed neighborhoods in the United States, and German influence could be seen in its German street names, beer halls, churches, and German-language newspapers. One important community site was Findlay Market, which opened in 1855, and today remains the oldest municipal market house in Ohio, and the only surviving public market in Cincinnati.

Like many neighborhoods in major cities, Over-the-Rhine changed dramatically in the 20th century, gutted by white flight and ignored by urban renewal efforts. But over the last few years, it has seen a rebirth. “Over-the-Rhine is such a special place,” said Jennifer Walke of the Model Group, a Cincinnati-area developer with a long track record for redeveloping historic neighborhoods and buildings. “The character of the neighborhood is strong and unlike anywhere else. But at the end of the 20th century, there were over 700 vacant buildings in the neighborhood and it was more known for its crime than for its history.”

With dedication, the Model Group has spent a decade working with the National Trust Community Investment Corporation to revitalize this unique neighborhood, which boasts the largest collection of Italianate architecture in the country. Like many of the Model Group’s projects, this revitalization was made possible by a collection of State and Federal Historic tax credits, along with New Market Tax Credits. This year, momentum is building to pass extensive tax legislation in Congress. For preservationists, among the most impactful tools on the table is the federal historic tax credit (HTC)—a proven engine for economic revitalization and cultural preservation. Preservationists across the country are advocating on behalf of the HTC to ensure that projects like Findlay Parkside and Jobs Café are able to be funded successfully in the future."

Try a New Restaurant

One of the most exciting projects to come out of the Jobs Café development is Findlay Launch, an incubator that gives aspiring restaurateurs the chance to test their concepts in a brick-and-mortar setting. In this unique partnership, the Model Group has master-leased three storefronts to the Findlay Market Corporation, each of which is home to a rotating collection of new restaurants and food businesses. Findlay Market selects tenants through a rigorous application process, and participants receive training, mentorship, and resources.

Many of the participants go on to sign longer-term leases and become permanent fixtures in the Findlay Market area. Thanks to Findlay Launch, visitors can try globally-inspired empanadas at Empanada’s Box, vegan breakfast burritos at Juniper Seed, pink lemonade cookies at Maya’s Bakes, and more.

…Or Re-Experience an Old One

In sharp contrast to a new business like Empanada Box, Eckerlin Meats has been a fixture of the Findlay Market since 1952. Now run by the sixth generation of Eckerlins, they have been selling chicken, beef, sausage, pork, and goetta for almost 175 years.

When the Model Group began the Findlay Parkside project, Eckerlin Meats was already looking to rehabilitate and expand, but doing so would require them to temporarily close their storefront. With such a deep and rich connection to the neighborhood, they sought a nearby location that would allow them to keep the business running during renovations, and they found one in the Jobs Café . This spring, Eckerlin is returning to their renovated home, where they are sure to be anchor tenants of Findlay Parkside for years to come.

Learn Cooking Skills

Interested in improving your own cooking skills? Then make your way to another Findlay Parkside resident, the Tablespoon Cooking Company. In 2016, Jordan Hamons launched the business, which offers a variety of cooking classes for people of all skill levels as part of the business incubator Findlay Kitchen. The business was so successful that it quickly outgrew its original space, but was able to move to one of the storefronts renovated as part of the Jobs Café project, where it remains a popular destination.

Tablespoon Cooking Company isn’t the only thriving business that has been able to grow thanks to these development projects. Bee Haven, which began in a stall inside Findlay Market, is a family-run business dedicated to creating natural products made from the family’s own beehives. Wishing to expand, they moved to a Findlay Parkside storefront that has allowed them to expand both their retail and production capacity.

Find Your Community

Along with retail space, both the Jobs Café and Findlay Parkside projects involve the creation of new mixed-use apartment buildings available to individuals and families at a variety of income levels. Of the 51 apartments created as part of the Jobs Café , 26 were designated as affordable housing, while 30 percent of the apartment units in the Jobs Café project will be restricted to households earning 120 percent of area median income; 26 percent will be restricted to those earning 80 percent of area median income; and the remaining 44 percent will be market-rate.