Walking Cincinnati. Danny Korman
cross Celestial Street to the right side—only when you are safely past the intersection; traffic can approach quickly here.
On your right is
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.
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
6 Walnut Hills
From Prominent Suburb to Urban Neighborhood
Be sure to visit Twin Lakes Overlook for a spectacular view of the city.
BOUNDARIES: Gilbert Ave., William Howard Taft Rd., Victory Pkwy., Eden Park Dr.
DISTANCE: 2.75 miles
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
PARKING: On-street or at the Walnut Hills Branch Library
PUBLIC TRANSIT: Metro bus to Taft Rd. and Gilbert Ave.
Walnuts Hills is a unique Cincinnati neighborhood that is in the process of redefining its identity through deep introspection and a genuine celebration of its history of diversity, walkability, and proximity to great amenities such as Eden Park. This walk traverses some of Cincinnati’s most beautiful parkland, as well as some historic and commercial districts of Walnut Hills.
Reverend James Kemper purchased 150 acres for his homestead from John Cleves Symmes in 1791 and called it Walnut Hill. Kemper’s legacy stretches far beyond naming Walnut Hills, however, as he and his family helped to establish the First Presbyterian Church of Walnut Hills and supported the development of the neighborhood as a racially and spiritually diverse community. During the 1830s, Kemper sold land to the Lane brothers, who opened the Lane Theological Seminary. The seminary was home to famous abolitionists Calvin and Harriet Beecher Stowe during those early years, and soon after Harriet