page_title: Norwood, Ohio
section_title: Industrial and infrastructure growth
hierarchical_section_title: Norwood, Ohio / History / Industrial and infrastructure growth
caption_attribution_description: English: The Norwood Market House at the corner of Mills Avenue and Walter Avenue in Norwood, Ohio, c. 1910. The building was first used as a farmer's market when it was built sometime between 1905 and 1910. Later uses included skating rink, Victory Park Pool bathhouse, Norwood Safety Lane, Norwood Boxing Club gym. Today it is used by the City of Norwood for storage.
context_page_description: Norwood is the second most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an enclave of the larger city of Cincinnati. The population was 19,207 at the 2010 census. Originally settled as an early suburb of Cincinnati in the wooded countryside north of the city, the area is characterized by older homes and tree-lined streets.
context_section_description: According to a survey of historical records by the WPA, there were 47 factories in operation in Norwood by 1919.
  In 1920, construction started on the Cincinnati Subway in downtown Cincinnati. The original plan was for a 16-mile loop to connect downtown with Norwood. Six subway stations were built in Cincinnati and several subway tunnels were completed in Norwood. The route would have taken passengers north from downtown through Ludlow, St. Bernard, and east through Norwood along the path of today's Norwood Lateral. The tracks would have then turned south near the location of today's Shea Stadium and followed Beech Street to the location of today's Interstate 71 before returning downtown. As subway construction continued into the late-1920s, the city experienced economic hardships and eventually abandoned the project completely in 1928, leaving the partially finished subway abandoned. One of the abandoned subway tunnels still exists in Norwood, running approximately 1,000 feet east–west along Harris Avenue, beneath the former Zumbiel Packaging building. For many years, the open tunnel was easily accessible from the adjacent Water Works Park baseball field and was regularly explored by the youth of Norwood. The entrances were eventually sealed with concrete in the early-2000s.
  During the early-20th century, Norwood generated its own electricity at a municipal electric facility located at the Water Works plant on Harris Avenue. In 1920, Norwood sold the facility and electrical distribution system to Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company, allowing CG&E to provide electrical services to the city.
  In 1921, a municipal swimming pool was opened in Victory Park, beside to the former Norwood Market House at the corner of Mills Avenue and Walter Avenue. Dressing room stalls were later added to the east side of the market house to allow bathers to change into their swimming costumes. The Market House opened at that location sometime between 1905 and 1910 and originally served Norwood as a farmers market. The building was converted into a roller rink and ice rink from 1926–1929 and later used as the Norwood Safety Lane automobile inspection facility from 1940–1981. From 1982 until the late-1990s, the Norwood Boxing Club trained fighters in the building. Today, the old Market House is used by the city for storage.
  In 1922, General Motors purchased 50 acres (200,000 m²) of land at Smith Road and Park Avenue to construct the 3,000,000 square feet (279,000 m²) Norwood Assembly automobile plant. This property was previously a large community park, ballfield, and circus ground known as Norwood Park. The Norwood Assembly Plant produced General Motors cars between 1923 and 1987, including the Chevrolet Bel Air, Biscayne, Impala, Nova, Caprice, Camaro, Pontiac Firebird, and the Buick Apollo. The first car to roll off the assembly line on August 13, 1923, was a Chevrolet Superior. The GM plant became the dominant employer in Norwood, with nearly 9,000 workers (including hundreds of Norwood residents) during its peak in the 1970s. It also contributed approximately 35% of the City of Norwood's tax base.
  To promote the popularity of the card game, bridge, the United States Playing Card Company established a radio station in 1922 at their Beech Street factory with the call letters WSAI. Bridge experts played the game on the air and provided instruction to listeners. In 1926, the company built an 8-story bell tower atop the main factory building and installed a set of 12 carillon bells in the tower. The soothing sounds of the chiming bells were frequently broadcast on the station. The company operated WSAI in Norwood until it was sold to Crosley Broadcasting Corporation in 1928.
  In an effort to improve Duck Creek Road, Norwood encased the once-beautiful Duck Creek waterway in a 4224 feet long, eight by ten feet, concrete aqueduct near Smith Road in 1923. The creek bed was filled in and all bridges spanning the waterway were removed. Most of Duck Creek road was later eliminated with the construction of Interstate 71 in the late-1960s.
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caption: The Norwood Market House has stood at the corner of Mills Avenue and Walter Avenue next to Victory Park since about 1905. This photo was taken around 1910 when the building was still used as a farmers market. Later it was used as a skating rink, pool bathhouse, Norwood Safety Lane, and Norwood Boxing Club gym.
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