06/11/2026
Stairways are monuments of mobility. Cincinnati has nearly 400 public stairways throughout its limits, reminding us daily of the hill climb of those before us. Principal Structural Engineer Stough McGavren said it best in 1947: “Due to the rugged topography of Cincinnati there are many locations on the hill slopes where the streets follow in general the contours, and cross streets, due to the steepness of the slope, are non-existent or widely spaced. In such locations there has been a persistent demand from the residents for stairways to provide easy access for pedestrians.”
Reinforced concrete built many public stairways from the beginning—the Main Street Steps in 1908—into the early 1930’s. High original cost paired with deterioration led to a City desire to standardized manufacture of units, which were precast during the offseason. Casting under shelter provided more stable conditions for workmanship and curing, and prevented seasonal layoffs of workers. Construction of stairways could then be done by unskilled laborers with minimal engineering guidance. Bituminous concrete landings between flights helped to adjust construction to the grade of the stairway route.
The ex*****on was practical. Its hollow core was meant to provide integrity and to require less concrete. Even innovations to the precast riser by the 1940’s promised greater cost savings and higher quality. The idea that a deteriorated tread could be flipped to its unworn side just made fiscal sense.
Over the ensuing decades, gravity became its master and brought these stairs down piece by piece. Diminished resources by the 1970’s led numerous stairways to be signed “Steps Closed for Repair”, not to be reopened. Many of these stairways remain closed a half century later. At some point during the 1980’s, this practice seemed to have been abandoned when greater funding and priority led to the reconstruction of important stairway connections. The movement coincided with the first city-led stairway maintenance inventory.
Without the precast concrete riser, first developed by assistant engineer W.A. Vogelsang, perhaps some walking connections would have been lost forever.
Photos by Christian Huelsman. Historic blueprints obtained via Public Records Request via City of Cincinnati DOTE.
