The Mehrum-Lindley Block consists of two structures which were joined to form one complex. The oldest and largest section, the Mehrum Building, was completed in 1900. Henry Frechtling chose to name the building after his hometown of Mehrum, Germany. On November 6, 1906 a massive fire destroyed almost the entire structure, only sparing the beautiful terra cotta façade. Secured by the lease of the Strauss Clothing Company, the Mathes-Sohngen Company rebuilt the building to a larger scale.
      Sometime between 1906 and 1913, the Lindley Building, a narrow, red brick structure to the west of the Mehrum Building was constructed. This structure would see a variety of uses until 1922, when renovations connected the building with the Mehrum Building, and the Strauss Clothing Company expanded into it. Both structures survived the Great Flood of 1913, and held dominate positions along the north side of High Street.  
      A 1924 pamphlet celebrates the 50^th Anniversary of Strauss and states their storefront was “as recognizable as the courthouse.” This is hard to doubt, the company had installed lighting all across the middle section of the building, proclaiming the Strauss name and illuminating High Street. Postcards of the building lit up in 1909 were printed and distributed. Strauss would survive until the mid-1950’s, when H.R. Green took over their space in the complex.
      The buildings are now cladded with unattractive brown louvers that hide its character and stifle a vision of preservation. The louvers were installed in the 1970’s when the complex was turned into the Hamilton Center which housed retail, convention, and office space.
      The complex sits almost entirely vacant today. The original façade is mostly intact, although the entablature has been lost across the front. The complex was added to Preservation Ohio's Most Endangered List in 2007, 2008, and 2009.

UPDATE: Artspace, USA has an agreement to acquire the structure and is seeking low-income housing and historic preservation tax credits to convert the property into artist lofts and studios. Interested parties can follow the project online at: http://www.artspacehamilton.org/.

Designed by architect Frank Mills Andrews, First Baptist Church was constructed in 1906. Andrews worked on a number of notable projects including the Kentucky State Capitol. Paul Sorg provided a $10,000 donation to jumpstart the church's building program. The church, made of Bedford Stone, was vibrant until 1972, when First Baptist moved to a new location. Various owners have occupied the building since. The church is part of Middletown's South Main Street Historic District.
      In late 2005, fire swept through the rear of the building. Although the Sanctuary was saved, years of water leaks have damaged the vacant structure extensively and the future of the building is fragile.

The first building in the new Hub quadrangle, Kreger Hall was originally constructed in three phases as Hughes Hall. The three phases, or wings, were built in 1931, 1937, and 1939. The building is of New England Georgian design with a central cupola. The building was used for chemistry instruction until the new Hughes Hall was constructed in 1970. Renamed Kreger Hall, the building was put in use for the School of Applied Science.
      With the School of Engineering and Applied Science vacating the Kreger Hall, the future of the building is being evaluated. The adjacent Robertson Hall will be demolished.

UPDATE: Miami's latest plans for a new student center call for Kreger to be renovated for the Department of Physics.

The Studio opened in 1929 as the Strand Theater. When the theater closed in 1959, downtown still had two other theaters, the Colonial on Main and the Paramount on Broad. The Paramount closed in 1963 and was demolished for the construction of the City Center Mall parking garage. The Colonial was located in the Sorg Opera House. In 1964, the Strand reopened as the Studio Theater by Associated Theaters of Cincinnati. At that time, the interior underwent extensive renovations and the marquee was modernized. The Studio operated until 1984 and has been inconsistently occupied since.
      Presently owned by the City of Middletown, the building is planned for demolition. While CHAPS acknowledges the economic limitations of a restoration project by the city, there does not exist a pressing necessity to demolish the structure at this time. Reclaiming the theater would offer a wonderful compliment to the city's plans to revitalize through the arts. In other cities the size of Middletown, theaters have been restored for local theater groups. In Hamilton, the Civic Theater recently completed the restoration of the Palace Theater by using funds from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission.

Completed in 1904, the Hossfield building was said to have "every accommodation for carrying on modern and up-to-date business." Paid for by the estate of Charles Hossfield, the building was erected for the Hossfield Company who specialized in high grades of native and foreign wines and liquors in the wholesale trade. The building was also used as a hotel and, later, an apartment building. The design was completed by local architect Frederick Mueller.
      In 2005, a fire roared through the building, but no action has been taken to repair the damaged structure. The loss of this building will create a large gap in downtown, hurting the city's urban character.

UPDATE: The property is currently undergoing restoration.

Vail Middle School was originally constructed as Middletown High School in 1923. The new high school was part of a building program that included the construction of two new elementary schools (Lincoln and Garfield) and two new junior highs (McKinley and Roosevelt). The school contained a 1300 seat auditorium and fifty-five classrooms. Of massive proportions, the school's facade contains several inscriptions including "Religion and Education are the Safeguards of Our Nation." In 1969, a new high school was completed and the building became Vail Middle School.
      If voters approve an upcoming issue to construct a new high school for Middletown, Middletown City Schools plans to consolidate middle schools at the current high school site and demolish the historic Vail building.

The Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad (CH&D RR) was chartered in 1846 and began operation in 1851. The railroad was instrumental to Hamilton's industrial growth, carrying both materials and goods, as well as passengers. The CH&D constructed the Hamilton station circa 1875 in railroad vernacular. In 1885, a two-story addition was constructed with Victorian Romanesque details. A one-story connector bridges the two structures. The CH&D Railroad was acquired by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1917 and underwent a series of mergers and acquisitions. The station became a stop on Amtrak's Cardinal Line between Washington D.C. and Chicago in 1982.
      In 2005, Amtrak stopped serving the station, although the Cardinal Line still passes by the depot three times each week. The station is marginally maintained, although one of the distinctive large wall dormers with elaborate stone trim has collapsed. The station is awkwardly situated between two forking rail lines and a MLK Boulevard, making redevelopment a greater challenge.