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Cincinnati's Incomplete Subway: The Complete History
Local author Jacob R. Mecklenborg reveals a fresh, thought-provoking, full examination of the Cincinnati subway's demise and what its future might hold. What of those ghostly catacombs that lie dormant below city streets? Those subway tunnels, never finished, never filled with the screeches of trains and the busy commotion of commuters. Just there. Dead. You've heard of the subway's demise. The tunnels were too narrow. The city was too broke. A grand miscalculation. Well, most of what you've heard is, sorry to say, untrue. The popular story of the subway's demise is myth-laden and as incomplete as the original plan. The full story, long buried in mounds of public records dispersed in libraries, is now exposed.
216 pages, Paperback
First published November 23, 2010
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102 people want to read
About the author
Jacob R. Mecklenborg
1 bookJacob Mecklenborg is a Cincinnati native and a graduate of St. Xavier High School, the University of Tennessee and Ohio University. He has worked as a photojournalist, a graphic designer, a teacher, and as a towboat deckhand.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 1, 2012
There are things about this book to recommend it; Mecklenborg does a good job discussing the bare bones facts of Cincinnati's taciturn relationship with public transportation, and he tries to avoid laying blame on any one group -- whether it's the old Republican guard, the charterites, or the various business interests that has as much to do with the eventual failure of any public transit except for the metro buses that are barely hanging on. Mecklenborg also tries to place the discussion in the context of current events and ends with brief statement about how the as of yet unused subway tunnels could still be of use.
And while the author's passion for the topic is undeniable, it reads as if he is trying to write about a historically contentious issue without offending anyone. While that aim is politically expedient, the fact is that current events .... such as the ill-fated attempt to bring back street cars (the Metro Moves Project)... calls for a more candid discussion of the political chicanery that is helping to choke the future progress of the city. Cincinnati is a city experiencing decline: jobs and population are going elsewhere, and not just to the suburbs and and beyond. They are moving to cities with a better grasp on public transit -- not just as a way to haul poor people around, which is how Cincinnati treats the bus system. Cities with a common sense approach to public transit are doing better and there hasn't been a real discussion regarding the cultural and socioeconomic impact of having a functioning subway or light rail.
And while the author's passion for the topic is undeniable, it reads as if he is trying to write about a historically contentious issue without offending anyone. While that aim is politically expedient, the fact is that current events .... such as the ill-fated attempt to bring back street cars (the Metro Moves Project)... calls for a more candid discussion of the political chicanery that is helping to choke the future progress of the city. Cincinnati is a city experiencing decline: jobs and population are going elsewhere, and not just to the suburbs and and beyond. They are moving to cities with a better grasp on public transit -- not just as a way to haul poor people around, which is how Cincinnati treats the bus system. Cities with a common sense approach to public transit are doing better and there hasn't been a real discussion regarding the cultural and socioeconomic impact of having a functioning subway or light rail.
January 5, 2019
At one time Cincinnati had a plan to build a subway about 16 miles long to connect various areas of the city. It might have helped in getting people downtown to shop but the subway never was finished. Now it's the longest abandoned subway in the entire country.
The book goes into the subject in detail and develops a number of reasons why the idea failed, ranging from the growth of the automobile culture, the Great Depression and a crooked government. There was also overall transportation plan to link the subway with other modes of travel. One of the things I think could have been done was get the government to help financially which would have put a lot of people to work during the Great Depression.
The book goes into the various reports about things that could be done and the vast approval of the first bond issue. Politics seemed to rear its ugly head all the time, though, and now there's two miles of tunnel that stands empty. From time to time someone gets in, takes video and posts it to You Tube.
I think the book does a very good job disposing of some myths about the subway and does an excellent job showing just why the subway was doomed almost from the start. I'm one of those people that wishes it had been built and I think it would have benefited the city.
The book goes into the subject in detail and develops a number of reasons why the idea failed, ranging from the growth of the automobile culture, the Great Depression and a crooked government. There was also overall transportation plan to link the subway with other modes of travel. One of the things I think could have been done was get the government to help financially which would have put a lot of people to work during the Great Depression.
The book goes into the various reports about things that could be done and the vast approval of the first bond issue. Politics seemed to rear its ugly head all the time, though, and now there's two miles of tunnel that stands empty. From time to time someone gets in, takes video and posts it to You Tube.
I think the book does a very good job disposing of some myths about the subway and does an excellent job showing just why the subway was doomed almost from the start. I'm one of those people that wishes it had been built and I think it would have benefited the city.
December 14, 2020
A deeply interesting and depressing read, that is somehow oddly hopeful at the same time. I can’t help but be completely fascinated with the Cincinnati subway.
April 9, 2013
I have been fascinated by stories and legends of the incomplete Cincinnati subway for most of my adult life. I am so excited to have tickets this May to one of the two tours given of the abandoned subway tunnels each year. Around 7 miles of this subway were graded or dug between 1920 and 1927 -- 2 miles of which lays below what is now Central Parkway.
Despite an enormous investment in this infrastructure, for a variety of reasons -- the Great Depression, World War II, unsuccessful bond referenda, and the Charterite reforms of the Cincinnati City Council, the subway was never put to use. Not a single subway car was purchased, no track was laid, and no passengers ever rode the subway. To this day, the Cincinnati subway stands as the largest abandoned subway tunnel in the country.
Jacob Mecklenborg's book provides an unparalleled history -- a political history -- of this fascinating chapter in American transportation. Mecklenborg explains, blow by blow, referendum vote by referendum vote, how this rapid transit system for Cincinnati was conceptualized, built, and never used. His history covers mass transit in Cincinnati from the early 1900s all the way to the present, in which a fixed-rail streetcar system is actively being proposed.
The book is not perfect. Mecklenborg assumes an extremely close knowledge of Cincinnati geography, streets, and neighborhoods. He also has a definitive narrative of the subway and its detractors that comes across too strongly in some of the text.
However, despite these flaws, this book provides an amazing history of one of the oddest and most fascinating stories in American transportation. More importantly -- it provides some lessons to all of us advocating for mass transit about the difficulties in building a consensus for large-scale public infrastructure.
Despite an enormous investment in this infrastructure, for a variety of reasons -- the Great Depression, World War II, unsuccessful bond referenda, and the Charterite reforms of the Cincinnati City Council, the subway was never put to use. Not a single subway car was purchased, no track was laid, and no passengers ever rode the subway. To this day, the Cincinnati subway stands as the largest abandoned subway tunnel in the country.
Jacob Mecklenborg's book provides an unparalleled history -- a political history -- of this fascinating chapter in American transportation. Mecklenborg explains, blow by blow, referendum vote by referendum vote, how this rapid transit system for Cincinnati was conceptualized, built, and never used. His history covers mass transit in Cincinnati from the early 1900s all the way to the present, in which a fixed-rail streetcar system is actively being proposed.
The book is not perfect. Mecklenborg assumes an extremely close knowledge of Cincinnati geography, streets, and neighborhoods. He also has a definitive narrative of the subway and its detractors that comes across too strongly in some of the text.
However, despite these flaws, this book provides an amazing history of one of the oddest and most fascinating stories in American transportation. More importantly -- it provides some lessons to all of us advocating for mass transit about the difficulties in building a consensus for large-scale public infrastructure.
December 4, 2021
Living just north of Norwood, it's interesting to think what might have been if Cincinnati had completed its subway loop.
This book, while not necessarily keeping a purely clinical and unbiased stance on the topic, provided many interesting anecdotes and ancillary conversations related to how Cincinnati ended up in its current impossible situation. If you're interested in the history of Cincinnati, urban planning or even trains, I think you would get value out of this book.
This book, while not necessarily keeping a purely clinical and unbiased stance on the topic, provided many interesting anecdotes and ancillary conversations related to how Cincinnati ended up in its current impossible situation. If you're interested in the history of Cincinnati, urban planning or even trains, I think you would get value out of this book.
May 27, 2018
For the bewildered Cincinnatian or for anyone who is not familiar with why Cincinnati has such a substandard transportation infrastructure this is your book. You will laugh. You will cry. You will be amazed that we have been shooting ourselves in the foot for over 100 years. Fascinating and frustrating.
March 8, 2011
Incredible depth. Great pictures. So much information!
May 20, 2012
The most insightful look into Cincinnati's transportation history. The book really excels at connecting otherwise separate pieces of historical information to help tell this story.
October 3, 2016
Why did Cincinnati dig subway tunnels, but never finish a subway? Why is the "Cincinnati" airport in a different state than Cincinnati? Read on for details....
December 15, 2017
a short book about what is pretty much a local legend in Cincinnati the book is well researched and written the only fault I found is that its more of a pro subway essay than a history. while I do realize that the subway has been a split issue along party lines (Republicans seeing it as unnecessary spending) this book definitely takes sides on the issue otherwise its a quick and interesting read
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews