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The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge spans the Ohio River, and connects the cities of Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio. Begun in 1856, it was designed and built by famed engineer John A. Roebling, whom went on to design the more famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The bridge’s planning began a decade prior, when the Covington and Cincinnati Bridge Company was incorporated. Political obstacles led to the project’s stagnation for nearly a decade. When work finally begun, the bridge’s northern landing in Ohio was put at an awkward spot; Rather than lining up directly with the street networks of Covington and Cincinnati, a mid-block location was chosen in hopes it would keep Cincinnati’s preeminence over the region and block the possibility of Covington and Newport gaining ground on the city. In 1856, with Amos Shinkle brought on to helm the board of trustees of the company, the project began to move forward. In September, 1856, the digging of the bridge’s foundations began. The towers, constructed of Sandstone covered with limestone, sit on a foundation of 13 layers of oak beams that rest on a bed of gravel beneath the river. The progress on the bridge was subject to being halted several times, due to funding issues. After the threat of a confederate raid became clear during the Civil War, funding poured in and the bridge’s construction continued at a much faster pace. It opened in 1866, with construction finishing the following year. The bridge originally was built with cost-saving measures, including a wooden deck and light steel frame, both of which were replaced in 1896 with a heavier steel elements, along with several more sets of cables and the removal of the original decorative elements atop the towers in favor of simpler, steel domes. The bridge has since been restored to its 1867 appearance, while tolls were finally removed in 1967. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1983, today the Roebling Bridge is an iconic landmark of the Queen City, and one of the city’s most recognizable structures.
Photo: w_lemay / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

Audio walking tour

Cincinnati Audio Walking Tour

River City Echoes: Where Bridge, Market, and Music Meet

Stops
32
Core walk
31 of 32 stops within 1.5 mi of the center
Farthest stop
1.5 mi from the center
Start
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
32 stops GPS-triggered audio No app download Free to start
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Highlights

  • The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge spans the Ohio River, and connects the cities of Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio. Begun in 1856, it was designed and built by famed engineer John A. Roebling, whom went on to design the more famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The bridge’s planning began a decade prior, when the Covington and Cincinnati Bridge Company was incorporated. Political obstacles led to the project’s stagnation for nearly a decade. When work finally begun, the bridge’s northern landing in Ohio was put at an awkward spot; Rather than lining up directly with the street networks of Covington and Cincinnati, a mid-block location was chosen in hopes it would keep Cincinnati’s preeminence over the region and block the possibility of Covington and Newport gaining ground on the city. In 1856, with Amos Shinkle brought on to helm the board of trustees of the company, the project began to move forward. In September, 1856, the digging of the bridge’s foundations began. The towers, constructed of Sandstone covered with limestone, sit on a foundation of 13 layers of oak beams that rest on a bed of gravel beneath the river. The progress on the bridge was subject to being halted several times, due to funding issues. After the threat of a confederate raid became clear during the Civil War, funding poured in and the bridge’s construction continued at a much faster pace. It opened in 1866, with construction finishing the following year. The bridge originally was built with cost-saving measures, including a wooden deck and light steel frame, both of which were replaced in 1896 with a heavier steel elements, along with several more sets of cables and the removal of the original decorative elements atop the towers in favor of simpler, steel domes. The bridge has since been restored to its 1867 appearance, while tolls were finally removed in 1967. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1983, today the Roebling Bridge is an iconic landmark of the Queen City, and one of the city’s most recognizable structures.
    John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge

    Spanning the Ohio River in front of you is the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, formerly the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge, linking Cincinnati, Ohio, with Covington, Kentucky. Opened to traffic on January 1, 1867, this crossing was, at the time, the longest suspension bridge in the world with a 1,057-foot (322 m) main span.

  • Heritage BankCenter
    Heritage Bank Center

    This 17,556-seat arena greets you, opened in 1975 as Riverfront Coliseum beside the old Riverfront Stadium. Completed in September 1975 and originally named Riverfront Coliseum because of its placement next to Riverfront Stadium, this building seats 17,556 people and remains the largest indoor arena in the Greater Cincinnati region, with 346,100 square feet (32,150 m2) of space.

  • Carew Tower with the Tyler Davidson Fountain in the foregrounf
    Carew Tower

    Feel the scale of this 49-story Art Deco giant, Cincinnati's tallest tower when it topped out in 1930. Feel the scale: when it rose it became the city’s tallest in 1930, its office and retail tower topping out in July of that year.

  • Music Hall 2017
    Cincinnati Music Hall

    Look up at the Venetian Gothic towers of Cincinnati Music Hall at 1241 Elm Street, across from Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine. Completed in 1878, this is the home of the Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, the May Festival Chorus, and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

  • The Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati OH by: Zaha Hadid.
    Contemporary Arts Center

    Zaha Hadid's building for the Contemporary Arts Center rises ahead of you in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is one of the first contemporary art institutions in the United States, a non-collecting museum devoted to new developments in painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, performance art and new media.

All 32 stops

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