You have got to check out these photos of the old Cincinnati library, taken around the turn of the 20th centruy. They are absolutely unbelievable.
It makes me proud to represent a city and a state with such a rich history of supporting literature and education.
Did you know that at one time Cincinnati, Ohio was called the “Paris of America?” In the 19th and early 20th century, Cincinnati was a cultural icon of the United States.
For reference, when these photos were taken the city of Cincinnati was home to a population of about 300,000, and was the ninth largest city in the United States. By all standards it was a large and growing industrial city.
The population peeked at about a half million in the 1940s, but gradually shrank back down to the 300,000 mark, which makes it the 23rd largest city in the country.
A library of this magnitude for that time period demonstrates the dedication the city Cincinnati had for literature and the finer arts.