Cincinnati's Deco Masterpiece

The Netherland Park Hotel

It is pretty standard to seek out the newest and coolest places to see, eat and stay whenever we travel. But I actually try to balance my hotel stays between sleek new hotels and history rich hotels. While new hotels offer clean, spare modern rooms with lots of tech, older hotels offer great locations and rooms with character and provenance.

On my recent trip to Cincinnati I returned to the venerable Hilton Netherland Park Hotel for a conference. This is a hotel steeped in history. 

In 1929 John Emory approached various banks to finance his vision for a new office and hotel tower. It would be a city within a city.  Cincinnati's banks lacked Emory's vision and refused to finance the project. 

So Emory cashed in all of his stocks and securities to pay for the project himself.  His timing was pretty amazing, selling just before the 1929 stock market crash. 

If he hadn't followed his dream, he'd have been financially wiped out. 

Instead, Emory went on to build his masterpiece and become one of Cincinnati's biggest employers through the Depression.

To design it he retained Walter W. Ahlschlager as architect. To build it he hired Colonel William Starrett as builder (Starrett built the Empire State Building and the Lincoln Memorial).

Elaborate Deco Detailing is Everywhere

His hotel, the St. Nicholas Plaza, never opened. 

Just before opening a local Realty Company claimed they owned the rights to that name. 

Since all the hotel's towels, dishes and silverware had been monogrammed, a new name had to be crafted using the same initials and the Netherland Park was born.

The new 800 room hotel featured modern bathrooms, elegant ballrooms, shopping arcades, a fully automated parking garage and seven commercial kitchens.

The River View From My Room on the 24th Floor

The hotel currently features Ohio's only AAA 5-Diamond restaurant The Orchids at The Palm Court. It is listed also listed as one of TripAdvisor's top 100 American restaurants. 

The chef here is serious. Everything is seasonal, fresh and local. Take a peek out on the 6th and 16th floor roof terraces and you'll see his beehives and herb gardens.  

Our 4-course dinner was truly wonderful in presentation, taste and thoughtful service.

The Palm Court

 Pastured "Fried" Egg / Gulf Shrimp / Creme Fraische / Caviar Cream

  Dry Aged Duck / Maitake / Root Vegetable / Juniper

Cream Cheese Custard / Raspberry / Lychee / Almond / Hibiscus

My night of dining at The Orchids will not soon be forgotten.

So a little Roadboy background on Cincinnati. 

From my very first visit here nearly 30 years ago, I have loved Cincinnati. 

It is a city full of surprises. It offers up some really great food. It is home to remarkable architecture. It has a a fantastic zoo, a Roebling bridge (the longest suspension bridge in the world in 1866) and enjoys a picturesque setting along the Ohio River.

It also has one of America's most beautiful and iconic fountains (the Tyler Davidson Fountain on fountain Square). 

The Tyler Davidson Fountain

In the late 1800's it was one of the seven most populous cities in the US and referred to as the "Paris of America".

It also has had to overcome notable flaws. It is home to the nation's largest abandoned subway system. It built one of America's most beautiful train stations just in time to witness the demise of passenger rail service.

Its politics are bizarre. On one of my trips Jerry Springer's Cincinnati mayoral run was cut short when the check he wrote to pay a prostitute in Covington found its way into the newspaper.

About the same time Cincinnati proudly pronounced a Mapplethorpe retrospective exhibit in its contemporary art museum "obscene" and sent police to protect its citizens from viewing it.

But Cincinnati's saddest character flaw is its pervasive and deep history of toxic racism. It was home to three white on black race wars and Marge Schott.

However, the Cincinnati I see today, is working hard to overcome its troubles and build a bright future.

It remains one of my favorite American city's to visit.

Roadboy's Travels © 2017