The Over-the-Rhine Museum uncovers, presents, and preserves the heritage of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood.
UPCOMING EVENT
Book Discussion with Andrew Houghtaling
On May 18, 2024, author and historian Andrew Houghtaling will discuss his new book The Story of My Life: The Autobiography of Frederick Finnup at an intimate fundraising breakfast. The event will be held at First Lutheran Church (1208 Race Street) from 10:00am-12:00pm. Ticket holders will receive a copy of the book, a catered breakfast, and a discussion with the author.
LEARN ABOUT OUR PLAN!
As part of our efforts to promote our July 29th, 2023 Plan Unveiling event, plan participants were invited to discuss the work to date with WVXU’s Cincinnati Edition correspondents. Click below listen to the quick conversation focused on how the plan will help visitors step back in time through the power of historic preservation.
3 W MCMICKEN STOREFRONT EXHIBIT
OUR FIRST PUBLIC DISPLAY IS UP! The storefront exhibit uses our building’s display case windows to feature stories from just a small selection of the families who have called this place home over its many years. Their stories are unique, but also universal narratives of the strengths, struggles, and survival of all Americans. This brief exhibition is the beginning of what we believe are the amazing stories Over-the-Rhine has to tell.
MUSEUM AWARDED NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES PLANNING GRANT
We are excited to announce that the Over-the-Rhine Museum has received a Historic Places Planning Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. We are one of just four sites around the country to receive this competitive national award this funding cycle! The $75,000 grant will underwrite our interpretive planning process for our future museum at 3 West McMicken. The resulting report will be our roadmap for the next decade of development. Click here to learn more.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
OUR FUTURE HOME
We are in the process of rehabilitating this former tenement building at 3 West McMicken Avenue / 12 Findlay Street. As we explore the stories of the more than 135 people who called this place home throughout its existence, the Over-the-Rhine Museum continues to raise funds to carry out all phases of the restoration. We are eager to establish an operating museum and cultural center that will be open to the public in the years ahead. Please consider participating in this venture by volunteering with the museum or making your donation today. Click here to donate.
WALKING TOURS
The Over-the-Rhine Museum offers four different fascinating and educational walking tours between May and October each year. These tours are two-hours long with stops throughout Cincinnati’s historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Tour topics include Tenement Life (north and south of Liberty Street), Women’s History, and Labor History. A tour focused on African American History will soon be added. Tickets must be purchased in advance and cost $20 per person or $15 per person with a group of 10 or more. Click here to read more about this program and its schedule.
This traveling exhibit combines the personal stories of individuals from across time with specific locations in Over-the-Rhine. Together these human and geographic stories reveal larger national trends and Over-the-Rhine’s place in them. The entire exhibit of six easy-to-install, portable panels is available to display in your church, business, or storefront. Hosting the exhibit is a great way to show your connection to the neighborhood and display these incredibly rich histories. Each double sided panel tells two stories of Over-the-Rhine, front and back. Click here to find more on these 12 stories and how to reserve them.
Four times a year, the Over-the-Rhine Museum organizes an evening of talks featuring three guest story-tellers. For 15 minutes each, speakers discuss research or first-hand accounts that share a common theme and connect to Over-the-Rhine. The goal is to allow those in attendance an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Over-the-Rhine, encouraging them to engage their surroundings more fully and discover that these stories are part of the evolving fabric of the neighborhood. Click here to learn more about this ongoing program that occurs every March, June, September, and December, or browse our Event Page to see upcoming and past topics and speakers.
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
Our Oral History Project records the histories of people who have lived, worked, worshipped, and played in Over-the-Rhine. We record stories of the neighborhood’s past to give us all a perspective on the breadth and depth of histories of residents and those who’ve passed through this community. These stories will be used to help us interpret the Museum site, and will be shared digitally so that teachers, researchers, and the general public can listen to the stories of Over-the-Rhine. If you would like to volunteer to be an interviewer, or you know someone who would like to share their story, please email us at hello@otrmuseum.org.
FIRMLY AGAINST RACIAL INJUSTICE
June 2020. In response to recent events in Minneapolis, Louisville and across the country, the Over-the-Rhine Museum stands firmly against racial injustice and police brutality. Black lives matter to our museum, our community and our history, and we acknowledge the rights of the aggrieved and oppressed to voice their discontent in a free society. Protest and dissent is part of the rich history of Over-the-Rhine.
We encourage the residents, business owners, friends and families of our diverse community to continue the process of building bridges of solidarity and mutual understanding during these challenging times, as we all work towards justice. We will continue to have conversations that celebrate the history of Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine, while also challenging ourselves and others to do the difficult work of building a more empowered, inclusive and joyful community.
OUR SPONSORS
