Cincinnati Memorial Hall is located at
1225 Elm Street in
the heart of historic Over-the-Rhine. It sits next door to Cincinnati's
iconic Music Hall (designed by the same architect) and across from the
newly-renovated Washington Park. It was built in 1908 as a speaking and
music venue, as well as a monument to the military of the city and
county.
Fun Facts
- The theater where Sean and Katie will say their vows is home to
Cincinnati's Chamber Orchestra and an annual beard contest (for which
Sean has high hopes for future participation).
- In the movie Ides of March George Clooney campaigns at Memorial
Hall.
- Above the theater stage is a depiction of nine Virtues. Sean and
Katie's favorite is "Manliness."
- Abraham Lincoln's funerary wreath is on display on the ballroom
level (they also have a civil war cannon).
A Little OTR History
Cincinnati became a booming trading hub with the completion of the
Miami & Erie Canal (now Central Parkway) in 1828. All that work
attracted working-class immigrants, particularly German-Americans, who
settled the area just north of the canal. In the mid 1800s, this
neighborhood was home to over 45,000 people, 75% of which were of German
descent. Crossing the canal into this community became known as going
"over the Rhine", a tongue-in-cheek reference to Germany's Rhine River.
The Germans brought to Cincinnati the love of beer -- at the turn of
the century there were a dozen breweries (and plenty of saloons and
biergartens to go with them) in the neighborhood.
Anti-German hysteria during WWI plus Prohibition slowed Over-the-Rhine
down a bit. And with improved public transportation, families began to
move up the hills into Cincinnati's original suburbs. The population
plummeted until it reached rock bottom with fewer than 5,000 people in
2007.
Over-the-Rhine is currently a neighborhood in transition. Its
population is on the rise, and it now hosts a vibrant arts scene and a
bustling entertainment district. It is one of the largest intact historic
districts in the United States, an asset that draws architecture buffs,
artists, and creative types (i.e. Katie and Sean) like moths to a flame.