Digging Cincinnati History

In 1901, Cincinnati City Engineer Louis Gustave Frederick Bouscaren appeared before the Water Works Board with a rather expensive request. Bouscaren asked the Board to approve a $500,000 brick cover for the Eden Park reservoir.

That immense artificial lake, covering 13 acres and more than 30 feet deep, held 100 million gallons of water, divided into two basins. Exposed to sunlight, the reservoir blossomed with algae that imparted a nasty flavor to the city’s water. Running the Water Works in 1901 was August “Garry” Herrmann, one of George “Boss” Cox’s chief lieutenants. Herrmann and Cox cared not a whit about the taste of the municipal effluent and so Bouscaren’s request was denied.

Ever since the immense reservoir had gone operational in 1878, the Water Works had fished a body out on a regular basis, and considered it no big deal. https://ow.ly/3UFl50Z19w6

📸 courtesy Don Prout's "CincinnatiViews"

This is the same building that has a partial front collapse this morning. I’m afraid we may lose this one. 😔

This building was the oldest existing firehouse in Cincinnati. https://www.facebook.com/share/1EiuuCUayX/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Breaking: A building in the East End has partially collapsed overnight. Firefighters are on scene, but Riverside Drive is closed nearby.