A North-of-Northsider visits Northside

This Sunday, my friend Kathy and I participated in the “Treasures of Northside” tour of homes (http://www.cincinnati.com/text/post/2004/09/27/tour092504.html). As a newcomer to Cincinnati, I am still trying to figure out what “Northside” is. I live north of the city (about 3 miles north of the tour) in College Hill, so I figured that I was a part of Northside. I was corrected by a home owner early on in the tour. Evidently, the Northside encompasses a small community along Hamilton Road, just north of I-75, also known as “Cumminsville.” College Hill is definitely not Northside and I am not a Northsider. Despite being denoted an outsider, I enjoyed the tour.

To Mike’s eternal dismay, I love peeking in other people’s houses. I welcome opportunities to gawk at strangers’ personal spaces. Voyeurism aside, I was also hoping for some home decor ideas on the tour. Most of the interiors were not my style, but interesting nonetheless. I listened to one woman describe how she painstakingly removed the layers of paint from an elegant, carved mantel, restoring it to its natural, wooden beauty. I was impressed by the man who had whipped up all of his own bedding, including a canopy. I marveled at the patience of the woman who had embellished her walls with a rococo of wall paper borders and paint treatments.

The architecture and renovations were simply amazing. Cincinnati is filled with beautiful old homes that have fallen into disrepair. The houses have great bones, but often rotten guts. It was inspiring to see how the residents had come together to rejuvenate the Northside. After seeing their pride in their hard work and sense of community, I wasn’t so put out at being seen as an interloper.