Margy Waller
A Love Letter:
Or How to Find Your Dream Home

Looking for your dream rental home? If you’re anything like me – and interested in the kind of cool, walkable neighborhoods featured on the soapbox site – then you might find some tips for your search in this posting. But, this is really a love letter to everyone who helped me in my hunt for the place to call home and all the artists who developed and redeveloped the spaces I visited.

In Over-the-Rhine, Jim Moll is THE MAN to know. He’s been in the mix of development and revitalization for many years, and knows A LOT about the history of the neighborhood. I heard his name so many times while starting my search that it was obvious that I was working with the right guy if I wanted a rental in OTR or downtown.

Jim connected me with a short-term furnished place at Vernon’s Corner – older buildings lovingly renovated at Liberty and Main. When I first arrived, there were two campaign offices in the retail space downstairs. Now that the election is over and the holidays have arrived, the owners have decorated the gas lamps, street level windows, and terrace with seasonal items. It’s very sweet and nice to see looking out from my large loft windows. Mark Bernhardt is an incredibly accommodating owner/landlord – and also offers unfurnished, long term rentals.

Even before I found Jim, Kris Sommer at Urban Sites gave me a lot of time and information and a complete tour of his rentals in OTR. Bill Baum of Urban Sites has been developing units in OTR for over 20 years and continues at quite a pace today – with some units for sale, others for rent. (Special thanks to Chelsea who gave me a tour of her very own Urban Sites loft space in the super cool Washington Hotel at Race and 12th.)

Both Jim and Kris are lovers of old spaces and OTR. They know a lot of the area history and pretty much all of the current neighborhood gossip. Kris writes an occasional email to his listserv all about what’s going on in OTR and the latest on Urban Sites rental options.

In Clifton, I got a lot of help from Sandra Wilger – a real estate agent who also works with buyers. Sandra knows Clifton pretty much inside-out after working and living in the area for a long time. She’s currently co-located with Gaslight Properties – another source for area rentals. She generously offered to help me out with my rental search – going to great lengths to learn about my specific wants and doing her best to find my dream space. She was mostly patient with my indecisiveness, yet pushy at just the right moment.

At some point in my search, I got worried that I would not be able to find just the right size apartment, with the features that I have-to-have (all hardwood with a little but of outdoor space). (Call me Goldilocks – I don’t mind.)

And when more than one person told me I should try looking in East Walnut Hills, O'Bryonville, and Hyde Park for the kind of older, spacious apartment with details like glass doorknobs and original woodwork – I did branch out a bit beyond Clifton and OTR.

One morning, driving to the office, I noticed a “for rent” sign in front of a The Kendall building on Madison Road near Hyde Park Square. I could see that the building was well cared for and had some units with private porches. Missy from Paradrome Square gave me a tour that same day of the building I’d noticed and two others in East Walnut Hills: The Clermont and The Grandview. Paradrome is doing good while doing business – investing in and maintaining important old living spaces. All three of these buildings have apartments with hardwood floors, private porches, and fireplaces.

Finally – just as I was feeling real pressure and nearing a decision –Maggie from Grandin Properties showed me an apartment that requires a “WOW” when you enter. Grandin specializes in historic properties in neighborhoods like Hyde Park and O’Bryonville.

We started at the San Carlos on Madison Road. These units have great old features including solarium-style porches and huge old wooden framed mirrors over medicine cabinets in the bath. For people who need a short-term furnished option (like me), Grandin advertises these for the San Carlos.

It was easy to imagine living within walking distance of some favorite places like BonBonerie for cookies and What’s for Dinner for takeout. I also like regularly stopping into Chateau Pomije to get Tim Shumrick’s latest wine recommendation.

But, the WOW property is on Michigan Avenue in Hyde Park. The Weston Flats  - built in the late 1800’s - have 14’ ceilings, balconies, hardwood floors, fireplaces, pocket doors, and incredible views. These spaces are enormous and truly beautiful. On the day I was there, Maggie was able to show two of the six apartments – a very unusual opportunity from her report.

I’ve made my decision now and am relieved to have that step that behind me. All of these wonderful buildings are a tangible reminder of the art we experience every day. These architects and developers are artists and we get to enjoy their imagination and creativity any time we like by just looking up when we walk by.

It was a treat to meet so many people who share an enthusiasm for old spaces and features in walkable neighborhoods. I only wish it was just a bit easier for someone like me to navigate the options without quite so much work. Though, if Cincinnati had a one-stop shop option for renters – I would not have met so many wonderful people in the process.

Special thanks to everyone who put up with my indecisiveness and need to evaluate the options out-loud and in the presence of others. And a great big virtual hug to the one who was there when I made the final decision - you were a huge help. (Or maybe it was like getting married - and you were just there when I was ready to decide. Either way, I owe you a drink.)

Oh – you want to know where I will be living?  It could have been any of these places, but…a girl needs a little bit of mystery in her life.

On Halloween, Madisonville Arts Center presented a special treat for the community – a production of Hansel and Gretel with marionettes (puppets on strings, you know), music, singing, and candy treats. Kids in costume came with their parents and extended family.

I’m not sure what it takes exactly to introduce kids to the arts – opera and theater in this case – in a way that will translate to more participation and a community sense that the arts belong to all of us. But, the Halloween party in Madisonville sure seems like an important effort and a model worthy of support.

To see the show, I drove to the Center at 5021 Whetsel Avenue off Madison Road. As I cruised past the sparkling new center, Margie waved from the gallery on the first floor. As I slowed, she called out: “If you are looking for the show, you found us!” I parked in the spacious lot next to the center and listened to music playing over the outside loudspeakers as I made my way past the eye-catching mirrored murals on the doorway to the open gallery space on the first floor. Entering the upstairs theater, I was impressed with the intimate venue and comfortable seating – which I later learned will be the site of an upcoming Blue Chip Players’ production of Arthur Miller’s play “The Price”. (That’s a play with a great story about family and the value of things we save.)

After the show, I watched as the kids bashfully got up close to the “cast”. They were still mostly afraid of the witch, but they liked Gretel and the forest animals a lot. As they left, the arts center volunteers offered kids water and a decorated bag of goodies. (Even the hand-created bags were little pieces of art!)

The Cincinnati Opera staff and leadership are on the cutting edge of offering performances in the community – not just in the lovely historic buildings downtown. And Dan Dermody at the Madisonville Arts Center offers his new space to all kinds of art producers.

Other traditional and older art organizations are often found in unexpected spots as well. The Chamber Orchestra recently started playing concerts in the new Anderson Center. Linton Music offers a Monday night series in Loveland and the popular children’s Peanut Butter and Jam Sessions in locations across town from Kennedy Heights to Wyoming to Mason. And leaders in neighborhoods from Evanston to Sharonville have opened their own arts centers creating a place for resident interaction and access to more arts for a diverse audience.

This is kind of community I want to live in – a region where there’s lots of opportunity and inclusion in the arts, spaces for people to share these experiences and talk together about the art they create and share.

Margy Waller - It’s A Lot about the Food

In the decade that I was away – living and working on the east coast – my father took care to send me treats from some of my favorite places for food and drink in Cincinnati. In particular, he sent me Graeter’s ice cream (always including caramel – the best flavor in the world) and Double Butter coffeecake, Awakening’s cinnamon-hazelnut coffee, and Bonbonnerie cookies.

And when I visited Cincinnati during those years, I often made my way to those three spots and also to The Echo, a childhood favorite on Hyde Park Square.

My parents – who did not go to high school here, moving as adults when they were hired to play in the Cincinnati Symphony – took me to some wonderful eat-drink spots as a child and young adult. And some of their favorite places are the ones I return to again and again as an adult. When I moved back to Cincinnati the first time – after college and law school - I discovered additional options with my friends. In recent years, I visited these places when I made my annual visits.

Now that I am moving back for the second time, I’m excited to be able to eat and drink at these spots and some new favorites too. Places I’ve made a point to go already include: Arnold's, What’s for Dinner, Bonbonnerie, Awakenings, Lavomatic, Zips, and Tinks.

But there are a few places I’ll visit often because they are stuck in my memory bank from my childhood in Cincinnati and are still luscious:

1. Graeter’s – Of course, it’s the ice cream place. In the ongoing battle of local ice cream options, this is definitely my favorite. Partly that’s because there’s nothing like Graeter’s Caramel anywhere. But also, the chocolate chip options are so amazingly choc-full of Graeter’s own bittersweet and milk chunks. But it’s not just the ice cream. I have three childhood memories of Graeter’s that make it special for me. First, my mother occasionally ate ice cream from the pink and white round cartons in bed, for breakfast. (Now, I do too – it’s pretty much just like yogurt – with a little more fat and sugar…right?) Second, my parents nearly always brought Graeter’s Double Butter coffeecake home for Sunday breakfasts; my three sisters and I fought over the gooiest pieces every week. Third, as an elementary-schooler, I would take the 24 or 69 bus to Hyde Park square on Friday afternoons, visit the public library to pick up a new stack of novels, and stop at Graeter’s for a bag of candy to snack on while reading. Now that my new office is a little too conveniently across the street from that same Graeter’s location, I have to practice some serious self-control and ration my visits.

2. The Echo – Another scene of childhood memories. On Saturday afternoons, my Mother took us to The Echo before she and my Dad went off to play a concert that night. Her favorite menu item was the fried chicken with sides. Although I’ve never been a big meat eater – the Echo was the one place I would order a bacon cheeseburger, with fries and tartar sauce (in Frisch’s-land no one looks askance when you order tartar sauce for your burger). These days, I still love those burgers and also the vegetable soup that seems to be prepared just the way I remember it from my childhood. And of course, there’s always breakfast for dinner at the Echo – yum.

3. Grammer’s – When I was a kid, I thought it was a treat to play mini-adult and tag along to symphony concerts with my parents. On some Saturday nights, I experienced the extra treat of an invitation to join the after-concert gathering of musicians and friends at Grammer’s. I remember getting cake, while my parents drank something they called a “black and tan” and I listened to the orchestra gossip of the day (more interesting than you can imagine!). Grammer’s is closed for repairs right now. But when it was reopened this summer after many years, I stopped in with a friend and saw that  - lovingly preserved by local-hero Jim Tarbell – it’s as sweet a place to sit and drink as ever.

Margy Waller

Recently, my mother commented: “You know what they say: Children who grow up in Cincinnati are quite likely to move back someday.”

She said this on the occasion of my announcement that after 10 years of living on the east coast, I am moving back to the place I still refer to as “home.” And she was no doubt needling me because I spent a decade insisting this announcement would never be made.

But, it turns out that Cincinnati does indeed have an allure I didn’t fully recognize – and the city has gotten even better since I left.

What is that appeal? What’s changed?

For me, the appeal includes a “perfect-for-me” job that is exhibit A for both what’s wonderful about the region and how it’s changing.

I’m moving back to work on arts access, appreciation, and support at our local “united arts fund.” The Fine Arts Fund is the oldest and largest such fund in the United States. And it’s existence and tenure is a reminder that the Cincinnati region hosts a community of art organizations both bigger and stronger than most any city of its size.

Moreover, since I left, the Fund has started to provide support and services in new ways to numerous nonprofits like Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati and Artworks. Plus, the community has expanded with the likes of new theaters: New Stage Collective and Know Theatre of Cincinnati have developed from the enthusiasm of local supporters and resources like Xavier University, the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music and Northern Kentucky University.

People who live here are participating in a dialogue about access to and participation in arts activities for an inclusive community. My new position is a direct outcome of that conversation and the challenge is to develop it in a way that leads to even broader agreement about our public responsibility to cultivate and grow these local resources.

In addition, neighborhood and community art centers are sprouting up all over, in places like Evanston, Madisonville, Sharonville, and Anderson.

In these days of economic turmoil and stress, we are very fortunate to have invested in such local art spaces, organizations, and events. Now we have outlets for expression and community experiences, places for sharing ideas and joy.

What else pulls me back to Cincinnati? The cost of living here is crazy reasonable – particularly for housing. I’ve been searching for a place to live and have to keep reminding myself that just because the cost seems so low to me doesn’t mean it isn’t wonderful. I’ve been on tours of new and developing condos in Over-the-Rhine and have seen some amazing spaces in the Clifton Gaslight neighborhood.

And there are other options for fabulous housing and walkable business districts too – East Walnut Hills, Oakley, Obryonville, and Northside have all grown new restaurants, art galleries, and shopping options since I left a decade ago.

Right now - I’m stuck on two possibilities: one each in OTR and the Ludlow area. And it’s hard to decide in part because I know there are so many great options that something better might be (literally) around the corner.

Density – something I grew to appreciate as a resident of DC and Philadelphia – appeals to me now. Even though I’ll need to buy a car, I want to live in a neighborhood where one can go without too. It’s wonderful to live and work in a place where people walk to work every day and also access most anything they need by transit, bike, and the occasional cab.

And there’s much more to say about Cincinnati’s appeal and what’s changed, the lifestyle I happily anticipate, Cincinnati area arts, and hometown food – the old and new favorite restaurants, as my transition-log continues.