Historic Findlay Market

Take a self-guided tour of the beautiful historic buildings in our market district and learn a bit more about the rich history and previous owners.

James Findlay was an early and prominent settler to Cincinnati. Born in 1770, he moved to Cincinnati with his wife, Jane, in 1793. Here, he ran a general merchandise store near the riverfront and later served as Mayor. As an early speculator and investor in Cincinnati, he and a business partner…
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Ulhmann’s Dry GoodsBeginning in 1861 and lasting until 1873, Friedrich H. Uhlmann (1821-1873) operated a dry goods grocery at 41 Elder. He also utilized the building next door at 43 Elder, built in 1860, for his dry goods store in the early 1860s. Friedrich ran his grocery until his death in 1873.…
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Early YearsBuilt in the early 1870s, 130-134 W. Elder was initially numbered 66-70 Elder before Cincinnati renumbered its streets in the 1890s. While it is today the Leader Furniture building, it was historically three distinct buildings. Earliest commercial tenants included Abraham Reinbach’s…
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The Early Years of 64 Elder Complete by 1861, 64 Elder first housed C. M. Arnold’s grocery. Born in Bavaria in 1823, he was a wealthy, early Over-the-Rhine resident: he had around $300,000 in present-day money in real estate and personal wealth by 1860. His wife Margaret, born in 1825, was also…
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The Kuchenbuch GroceryIn 1921, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that 106 W. Elder—initially numbered 42 Elder—was built in 1856 and occupied at that time by Charles Kuchenbuch (1843-1928). City directories, however, did not list the address until 1860. Its first inhabitant, according to Williams’…
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Queensware at 126 W. ElderFrom 1863 to 1866, Gustav Woelfer (or Woelper)—who was a tinner by trade—ran a tin shop and queensware store at 126 W. Elder, then numbered 62 Elder. From 1867 to 1887, Henry E. Juegling then operated his queensware store in the first floor. Prior to working at 62 Elder,…
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The 100-Year-Old Pharmacy at 1800 RaceCity directories first listed the northeast corner of Race and Elder in 1857, with Michael Farhbach’s coffee house there. Michael was a German immigrant, born in 1822 in Baden. He lived here in Cincinnati with his wife Mary, also a German immigrant. He became a…
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Forging Wagons and Molding Iron at 615-617 Elm in the Mid-1800sEarliest recorded commercial uses of 1739 Elm—then listed as 615-617 Elm before Cincinnati renumbered its streets in the 1890s—included William Rottger’s wagon-making business and August Bode’s blacksmith shop in the 1860s and 1870s.…
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Early Years of 133 W. Elder Built in 1878, according to the Hamilton County Auditor, 133 W. Elder brought early commercial activity to Findlay Market. Some of its first inhabitants included a cobbler, a furniture store and a grocery. From the 1880s until the turn of the 20th century, as many…
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Early Years at 60 Elder In 1861, William Schrendenbach was the first commercial occupant of 124 W. Elder, then numbered 60 Elder. His coffee shop lasted for only a year though. Then, from 1862 to 1865, Christian Weber (1831-1877) operated a boots and shoes store from the space. In 1866, he…
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Early Years at 54 and 56 Elder 118 and 120 W. Elder—now home to Silverglade’s and Pet Wants—were historically two distinct buildings, first numbered 54 and 56 Elder, respectively. John F. Moser, a grocer, was the first commercial occupant of the buildings, working from them as early as 1858. In…
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The Early Years: 670-676 Race StreetSanborn Insurance Maps from the late 1800s show 1818-1824 Race as four distinct buildings, each four stories tall. All three were stamped with “tenements,” indicating their use as apartments. 1818 Race was also listed as a saloon. Sanborn Insurance Maps from the…
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Early Years of 131 W. Elder 131 W. Elder—originally listed as 67 Elder—first appeared in city directories in 1862. William Bentel’s coffee house provided some of the first listed commercial activity, as did Joseph Schueler’s cabinetry business. Joseph (1837-1909), born in 1837 in Hesse-Darmstadt,…
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Early Years at 58 Elder122 W. Elder—initially numbered 58 Elder—was first listed in city directories in 1861 with Henry Vancliff’s dry goods shop. He remained at the building through 1863. In 1864-1865, Abraham Manheimer then had his dry goods store there. Abraham was a German immigrant, born in…
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The Kruse Family at 37 Elder Throughout the 1860s, 1870s, 1880s and 1890s—until 1895—the Kruse family ran a dry goods shop at 101 W. Elder, then numbered 37 Elder. The building stayed in the Kruse family’s ownership until the 1950s. John F. Kruse and his younger brother Henry initially operated a…
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The Early Groceries at 39 Elder Beginning in 1860, John F. Kruse and his younger brother Henry operated a dry goods store at 103 W. Elder, then numbered 39 Elder; they also utilized the storefront of 101 W. Elder, or 37 Elder. They were from Hannover, born to Bernard (1794-1881) and Margaret…
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The Early Years of 109 W. Elder 109 W. Elder—first listed as 45 Elder—appeared in city directories in 1862. A number of tailors lived at the address then, including Rudolph Strubbe, Ernst Delbrugge and George Schultz, as well as cigar-maker Frank Tokup. An early and affluent Over-the-Rhine…
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Early Years of 44 Elder - The Diehl Family Built in 1866, 108 W. Elder—initially numbered 44 Elder—was constructed as a three-and-a-half-story building with a rear one-story extension. The first floor was always commercial and was first home to Henry Paulsen’s boots and shoe store in 1866. Henry…
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Early Years of 135 W. Elder 135 W. Elder—then numbered 71 Elder—was listed in city directories as early as 1860. The Hamilton County Auditor also reports its built date in the 1860s. Within the first decade of its use, the majority of tenants were tailors, like F. Bogerdink (or Bogerdig)…
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The Early Years at 48-52 Elder What is now Eckerlin’s was historically three separate buildings with two, sometimes three, storefronts in operation. Often, 112 and 114 W. Elder shared a commercial space. Earliest business uses of the buildings included coffee houses and dry goods shops. The famous…
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Early Years of 59-63 W. ElderOriginally listed as 59-63 Elder, before Cincinnati renumbered its streets in the 1890s, what is now the Luken Warehouse was originally three separate one-story structures with four storefronts. Built by 1860, these were most likely wood-frame buildings as was common in…
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The Dry Goods EraAaron Burtanger was the building’s first owner. He also owned and rented out 117 W. Elder. Above the dry goods shop, the family resided at 115 W. Elder—then numbered 51 Elder—and rented out rooms in the building. Many members of the family worked to keep the business alive.…
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Early Years of 129 W. Elder 129 W. Elder—originally listed as 65 Elder—first appeared in city directories in 1862 with Andreas Utz’ flour business. Andreas later Americanized his name to Andrew. Born in late November 1820 in Bettmaringen, Baden to Martin Utz and Johanna (Gantert), Andreas…
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The Early YearsIn the early 1860s, a two-story building, then listed as 641 Elm, was erected at where 1819 Elm now stands. It had a first-floor storefront and above and behind the commercial space, stretching all the way to Campbell Alley, were tenement apartments. Its first inhabitants in the…
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The Saloons at 43 Elder As the marker on the building today boasts, 107 W. Elder was constructed in 1860. The first commercial tenant of 107 W. Elder—originally numbered 43 Elder—was Friedrich H. Ulhmann (1821-1873) who ran a dry goods store there in the early 1860s. Born in 1821, he was an early…
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The Early Years of the Southeast Corner of Race & ElderOn the plot that Our Daily Bread now sits on, four structures originally sat, numbered 648 Race through 658 Race. All were three stories tall except the southern-most building, 648 Race, which 1891 Sanborn Maps show as a one-story building.…
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111 and 113 W. Elder: Their Beginnings in Findlay MarketPrior to Cincinnati’s renumbering and renaming of streets in the 1890s, 111 W. Elder was 47 Elder and 113 W. Elder was 49 Elder. Bernard Hintereck and His Family at 111 W. ElderBernard Hintereck and his family were the first owners and…
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Early Commercial Uses of 119-121 W. Elder119-121 W. Elder—originally numbered 55-57 Elder—were first listed in city directories in 1862 with Valentine Kahn’s (1823-1900) saloon at 55 Elder and Frederick Weimann’s (1822-1893) bakery at 57 Elder. In addition to these storefront uses, directories…
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The Early Years of 1801-1805 Elm: Coffee, Beer and HatsIn the 1860s, 1801 Elm housed Charles Kennett’s coffee house. Charles Kennett was born in Bavaria in 1823. Married to Margaret, they had just had a son, Edward, upon moving into 1801 Elm. By 1864, Charles and his family moved to Hamilton Road…
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Early Years of the Northwest Corner of Race & Elder Built in 1857 by “an early builder of Cincinnati [who] laid the foundation of the Burnet House and the Jewish Temple [Plum Street Temple],” according to the Enquirer in 1922, 100-104 W. Elder—initially numbered 36-40 Elder—was three separate…
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Early Years of 46 Elder In 1860-1861, German immigrant Frederick K. Fischer (1832-1882) was the first to use the newly-built structure at 46 Elder. Born in 1832 in Baden, he immigrated to the U.S. sometime prior to 1855. Here, he used the building at Findlay Market for his coffee shop which acted…
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