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Mount Lookout :: History

Mt Lookout History ObservatoryThe hilly eastern community of Mt. Lookout, which was annexed to the city of Cincinnati in 1870, was once called Delta. The name became Mt. Lookout from the "lookout" at the Cincinnati Observatory, which was moved into the neighborhood from Mt. Adams. The Observatory, now designated as a National Historic Landmark, sits on property donated by John Kilgour, a wealthy Cincinnati banker.

Some of the property in the area was reportedly first surveyed by George Washington, and much of the area was put to use as vineyards. A rail line operated in the area between 1873 and 1897. A combination post office and rail station was at the west end of Mt. Lookout Square until 1958, when it was replaced by the Gasoline Service Station.

Our Lord Christ the King Parish Church began in 1926 in a rented room, and the Cardinal Pacelli School was erected in 1936.

An important contribution to the Mt. Lookout neighborhood is Ault Park, named in memory of Ida May Ault and her husband, Levi Addison Ault, a former Park Commissioner. They donated the initial tract of land in 1911, donating around 30 acres of former vineyard land in all. The Pavilion was dedicated in 1930.

More Information:

Community Information

Ault Park 

Historic Postcards

More Mount Lookout Online

Official Home Page of Mount Lookout:
www.mtlookout.org/

Home of Cincinnati's sixteen inch astronomic telescope and Ault park, Mt. Lookout boasts locally owned one of a kind specialty shops as well as upscale restaurants, and neighborhood watering holes.

Read more @ SoapBoxMedia.com »

Nestled away in the hills of Mount Lookout, I suppose it's rather easy to overlook, but that was sort of the idea back in 1873, when the observatory moved from Mount Adams to the then-isolated hills of Mount Lookout.

Read more @ CityBeat.com »

Mt. Lookout, one of the city's most sought after addresses, has much to recommend it. There's Ault Park, the crowning jewel of the city's park district... The streets are lined with shady trees and well-kept homes.

Read more @ Cincinnati.com »