Mount Adams: An Urban Island

One of Cincinnati's oldest and most picturesque neighborhoods, Mt. Adams is beloved by all who know it. For more than 150 years, its winding streets and narrow houses have been home to generations of the same families. More recently, its bars, restaurants and rehabbed living spaces have beckoned waves of newcomers to its easy living and urban charm. Here Neil Bortz, whose vision has been re-shaping Mt. Adams for five decades, and J. Miles Wolf, whose photographs portray it in all incarnations and seasons, present a unique portrait of their "urban island."
Front and center are the people who live and work in Mt. Adams, the magnificent views that surround them, the festivals and events that mark their year and the nightlife that is so much a part of their lives. From Germans and Irish to Hippies and Yuppies, from the Highland House to the Highland Towers, from pottery to Pia's and vineyards to vinyl interiors, the evolution of the Hill unfolds with the loving touch that only two people who know it intimately and care deeply about it could provide.
How was Mt. Adams transformed from an enclave of neglect in the mid-twentieth century to a poster child for urban renaissance? What are its most prominent myths and traditions? How does it look when fog surrounds it, or snow covers it, or autumn transforms it? What lies behind what the visitor sees? The answers are all here, including its special relationship with Eden Park. It's a story that all Cincinnatians should know, and when they do, it will fill them with pride.