The Steps of Cincinnati refers to the collection of approximately 400 sets of city-owned steps in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
The steps are considered a unique and integral mode of transportation in the city. In addition to practical use, the steps offer recreational users exercise and serve as a scenic attraction to tourists.
Overview
Cincinnati is a city of hills. While not a literal description, the city has long been given the nickname "The City of Seven Hills", a metaphorical reference to the
seven hills of Rome
The seven hills of Rome ( la, Septem colles/montes Romae, it, Sette colli di Roma ) east of the river Tiber form the geographical heart of Rome, within the walls of the city.
Hills
The seven hills are:
* Aventine Hill (Latin: ''Collis Aventi ...
. Before the advent of the automobile this system of stairways provided pedestrians important and convenient access to and from their hilltop homes. At the height of their use in the 19th century, over of hillside steps once connected the
neighborhoods of Cincinnati to each other. The first steps were installed by residents of
Mount Auburn in the 1830s in order to gain easier access to
Findlay Market in
Over-the-Rhine
Over-the-Rhine (often abbreviated as OTR) is a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Historically, Over-the-Rhine has been a working-class neighborhood. It is among the largest, most intact urban historic districts in the United State ...
.
Over the years, some of the steps have fallen into disuse and disrepair, leading to calls from preservationists to restore the historic steps. Conversely, some area residents want nearby steps closed because they fear the often poorly lit steps offer refuge to criminals. In response, the City has formed the City Hillside Step Information System and made it responsible for evaluating the condition of the steps and making needed repairs. Commemorative markers were placed in the neighborhood of
Mount Adams at the Oregon Street Steps and Park Street Steps.
Despite these efforts, some of the steps remain at risk of closure.
Religious significance
The Steps of Cincinnati are central to a perennial Cincinnati tradition. Since 1860, the faithful ascend 85 steps of the Roman Catholic
Immaculata Church
The Church of the Immaculata, or Immaculata Church, is a Roman Catholic church atop Mt. Adams, a neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio. The church commemorates the Immaculate Conception and serves the Holy Cross–Immaculata Parish in the Archdiocese ...
on
Good Friday to the church's front door from the neighborhood below while praying the
Rosary. An additional 65 steps start at the base of Mt. Adams, with a pedestrian bridge over
Columbia Parkway
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...
connecting the two paths.
The steps were originally made of wood, but in 1911, the City of Cincinnati helped the church build concrete steps. In 1958 and 2009, the city again rebuilt the now 96 steps leading to the church.
Further reading
The guidebook ''Walking the Steps of Cincinnati'' (
Ohio University Press
Ohio University Press (OUP), founded in 1947, is the oldest and largest scholarly press in the state of Ohio. It is a department of Ohio University that publishes under its own name and the imprint Swallow Press.
History
The press publishes ap ...
) by Mary Anna DuSablon, a
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
-born author, contains hundreds of city steps with 35 walking tours.
See also
*
Steps of Pittsburgh
The Steps of Pittsburgh refers to the collection of nearly 800 sets of city-owned steps in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Many steps parallel existing roads, but others exist on their own and are classified as city s ...
*
Step street
A step street is a thoroughfare fitted with steps for pedestrian traffic rather than paved or tracked for motor vehicles. It is a practical way of providing access up and down a slope that is too steep for automobiles. Step streets consist of a s ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Interactive map of the Steps of Cincinnati
* "Praying the Steps," a poem set on Mount Adams, Cincinnati in the book
Vertical Bridges: Poems and Photographs of City Stepsby
Paola Corso
Transportation buildings and structures in Cincinnati
Stairways in the United States