The Avondale Neighborhood History Initiative (ANHI) began in the summer of 2021 when UC joined together with our partners, the Avondale Branch Library and the Avondale Development Corporation to build a multifaceted community-engaged local history initiative. The Avondale Neighborhood History Initiative was supported by a 2021 Community Change Collaborative grant from the University of Cincinnati’s Office of Research.
Avondale Neighborhood Archive
Avondale Neighborhood Archive is a crowd-sourced archive of documents, objects, and stories about Cincinnati’s Avondale neighborhood in the part of the Avondale Neighborhood History Initiative. As a product of partnership between the Avondale branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Avondale Development Corporation, and the University of Cincinnati’s Center for the City, this archive functions as a repository of private collections of people in the Avondale neighborhood as well as a window to present history and lives in the Avondale community.
Upcoming Events
Click HERE to see event details.
Avondale History Series
Avondale Branch of Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
3566 Reading Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229
Early Avondale
Dr. Anne Delano Steinert
University of Cincinnati
November 13, 2021
Noon- 1 pm
Jewish Avondale
Dr. Karla Goldman
University of Michigan
January 22, 2022
Noon- 1 pm
Radical Change in Avondale
Dr. Charles F. Casey-Leininger
University of Cincinnati, Emeritus Faculty
March 12, 2022
Noon- 1 pm
Modern Avondale
Deqah Hussien-Wetzel
Founder of Urbanist Media
May 7, 2022
Noon- 1 pm
Avondale Youth History Corps
The ANHI recruited eight local students in grades 8-10 to serve as paid members of the Avondale History Youth Corps. Corps members met at the Avondale branch library for five hours each week and studied the history of Avondale with a mentor from the University of Cincinnati. They conducted two community scanning bees to collect sources for the Avondale Digital Archive, built local history binders for the library, and created a closing exhibition on significant individuals in Avondale history.
ANHI Planning Team
While the youth were busy with their work, an adult planning team was meeting weekly to map out a series of public-facing public history projects and a recruitment plan to build a team of Avondale community historians. Their hard work will push the ANHI forward toward a multi-year, multi-modal community-engaged history project to preserve and celebrate the history of the Avondale neighborhood. Stay tuned for updates on the progress of this important work.
