Part of the Archives and Rare Books Library's Ohio Network Collection, the photographs document Cincinnati's ever-changing urban landscape during construction of the subway and during various street rehabilitation projects. The interior photos provide a glimpse into how Cincinnatians lived in the first half of the 20th century.
The archive also includes construction reports, homeowners' damage claims, blueprints, minutes, and correspondence, making it a valuable resource for planners, journalists, neighborhood groups, and students.
"Ohio residents, city planners, researchers, and scholars worldwide engaged in research in social, political, urban, and transportation history, as well as genealogical and family history research, will find much value in this collection," library head a project co-director Kevin Grace said in a prepared release.
The Library Services and Technology Act grant is funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the State Library of Ohio.
The project to digitize the negatives and prints is slated for completion in October 2013 and will be available to the public on the library's Digital Collections website.
"By making it a priority to digitize our unique collections such as the negatives and prints from the Cincinnati and subway street changes archive, we not only broaden the availability of such materials, but we also fulfill our mission to provide outstanding research collections in order to enable the University of Cincinnati to achieve its comprehensive mission of teaching, learning, research, health care, and community engagement," UC Libraries Dean Xuemao Wang said.
Photo credit: UC Libraries
