Karyl Cunningham looks out her fourth-floor office windows, across the mounds of dirt and slabs of concrete that will become the new Washington Park, and to the front doors of Music Hall. In a few hours, she'll be inside, watching "Rigoletto," one of her favorite operas.
But for now, she's intent on telling another story. As she ends her eight-year run as executive director of the
Emanuel Community Center in Over-the-Rhine, she wants to make one thing clear: her 140-year-old organization is as much of a Cincinnati icon as its better-known neighbor on Elm Street.
From her first days at the Center, Cunningham, 55, recognized that Emanuel needed to be a key player in plans for the future of Over-the-Rhine. She saw that developers, business leaders and residents shared a fundamental goal: everyone wanted a healthy, safe, vibrant and economically sound community.
But when it came to buying, renovating or demolishing buildings, community opinions splintered. While construction projects spread through the streets, Emanuel had the capacity and history to connect with residents, old and new. "It has always been about the community," Cunningham says.
Founded in 1871 to meet the social and spiritual needs of German immigrants, Emanuel's story follows the path of newcomers who have always chosen to call the historic city basin home. Italians arrived after the Germans. Then came Appalachians and later, African Americans. Today, young professionals, retirees and transplanted families contribute to the mix.
"Every time the population changed, Emanuel was ready to step in and deal with the needs of the community," says Cunningham, whose clear, measured tones hint at her past as a teacher in middle and high schools as well as adult education programs.
Emanuel has been a piano school, a boy's club, a young women's club and health clinic and even a boxing training facility for champions Ezzard Charles and Aaron Pryor. It remains the oldest continually licensed daycare in the city. Fresh from a stint at Hamilton County Head Start, Cunningham inherited a center that focused primarily on providing services for children during a time of seismic neighborhood change.
Cunningham arrived at Emanuel in 2003, the same year that city and corporate leaders created the well-funded
3CDC in an effort to consolidate and strengthen downtown and urban redevelopment. When conflict often flared between neighborhood groups and developers, Cunningham remained determined to bring people together, no matter their affiliation.
"She worked hard to make sure everyone knew that space was where you could come in, be honest, share your thoughts and concerns and work together," says Brian Tiffany, president of the
Over-the-Rhine Chamber. He says her Madeleine Albright-like diplomacy skills reassured neighbors and developers alike.
"She understands that in order to get respect you have to show respect," Tiffany says. "She demands respect."
Cunningham's respect for, and belief in, Emanuel's mission is palpable. It is, she says, a vital "community connector," serving the needs of Over-the-Rhine residents, including all ages and backgrounds. From the beginning, she looked for ways to re-envision the space, which had undergone major capital improvements before her arrival. Her goal was as simple as it was challenging. "It should be a place where people gather together," says the Toledo native who now lives in Delhi.
In 2004, she founded the Women of Over-the-Rhine event as a way to showcase the depth and diversity of women working in the neighborhood. Honorees, Cunningham says, "helped shape Over-the-Rhine." The first year, 90 people showed up. Last year, a sold-out crowd of 275 kept the tradition growing.
"It truly is the lead organization in Over-the-Rhine that has really made its mission to connect the community," Tiffany says. He says that while his organization focuses on economic vitality, Emanuel represents and supports the community in very personal ways. "The bricks and mortar are great, but they are worthless without the people."
Cunningham welcomed arts and cultural programs into the Center and started an Oprah Book Club. As she took her place as a neighborhood leader, she continued to position Emanuel as a hub for businesses and individuals who share a passion for their work and for Over-the-Rhine. From providing a home base for My Nose Turns Red Youth Circus to housing Bad Girl Ventures, Emanuel reflects the shifting needs and wants of its community.
Another new Emanuel Center business, a
Jazzercise franchise owned by Women of Over-the-Rhine honoree Kelly Leon, attracts students from the neighborhood as well as from far beyond it.
"I love the class at Emanuel," says Catie Zacharias, a 50-year-old claims manager for Great American Insurance and Jazzercise aficionado. "It's such a vibrant, interesting place." While she attends classes at other sites, Emanuel provides her with something more than exercise. "I think the people outside the area have a fear that the inner city is a bad, scary place, and honestly I think some of the inner city residents harbor some fears about the people beyond downtown. I think everyone that comes to Emanuel finds that we all have so much in common."
When Cunningham hears Zacharias' words, she nods and smiles. Uncovering unexpected common ground is one of her specialties. Last fall, she made a long-time dream come true when Emanuel hosted the first-ever "Seat at the Table" dinner. Ten long-time Over-the-Rhine residents, most wary and skeptical, sat down with 10 newcomers for a gourmet meal. Jazz music played. Two hours passed and still residents stayed. "It was a really powerful event," says Cunningham, who adds that all attendees remain connected to the Center and to each other. "It was great to be able to expose people to Emanuel and then to dispel these myths."
One of the new neighbors who attended the dinner, a Procter & Gamble employee, recently reserved a community room for a work meeting. A long-time resident who sat at the same table now attends Jazzercise classes regularly.
"The true health comes when you connect the people," says Cunningham. When she talks about Over-the-Rhine, Cunningham's voice unconsciously escalates until she sounds like a preacher in the midst of a good sermon. She chops her hands on the table and nods her head for emphasis. In short, she doesn't look like a leader about to step down from her post. But Cunningham says it's time for her to stop doing the "heavy lifting" at Emanuel, especially after the death of her husband earlier this year. She'll still help plan the re-opening of
Washington Park, one neighborhood icon making a mark on another. No doubt she'll still be a part of Oprah's Book Club, too. Emanuel is something bigger than a job. It's more like a way of life.
"Whoever comes after me will have to be passionate about Over-the-Rhine," says Cunningham, looking again out her expansive windows, looking again across the construction site. "We still have a long way to go."
Photography by Lauren Justice
Karyl Cunningham
Emanuel Community Center facadeBad Girl Ventures, Candice KleinJazzercise at the centerBlues dance class, by the Living History Dance School