NORWOOD HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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Historical Dates for Norwood, Ohio.
1990s

  • 1990
    The 1990 Census determines Norwood's population to be 23,674. In 1931, the city was rezoned from four to six wards, reflecting the increase in the city's population. The 1930 census had shown a population of 33,411, above the 25,000 cut-off for more wards. The question is whether, by state law, the city must reduce the number of wards and councilmembers to represent the 1990 census count. However, this possibility isn't brought to the public's attention until 2003. In the fall election of 2004, the voters decide to reduce the number of wards to four.

  • 1990 (February)
    Renovation begins to convert the former Foy Paint Company building at 1776 Mentor Avenue into a business "incubator" facility.

  • 1990 (February)
    The Victoria senior housing complex is completed.

  • 1990? (March 2)
    City council passes a resolution approving the construction of a bridge and roadway to Central Parke. The road is a southern extension of Wesley Avenue, starting at Harris Avenue. The bridge is built to go over the CSX railroad tracks. Wesley Avenue continues over the bridge and past Wall Street in Central Parke. Although initial plans are to extend the street all the way to Park Avenue, this is opposed by local residents, who site historical legal restraints.

  • 1990 (April 10)
    The Belvedere Corporation breaks ground on the "Central Parke" project.

  • 1990 (July 9)
    The BASF Plant at the corner of Dana Avenue and Montgomery Road, in Cincinnati at the southern line of Norwood, explodes. Windows are shattered at Norwood storefronts a mile away on Montgomery Road. This completes the history of a facility that started as the Ault & Wiborg Company, which provided the inks for the 1894 Mulford & Betty book.

  • 1990 (September 22)
    The Norwood Times publishes its first issue. This was the first community newspaper for Norwood since The Norwood Enterprise-Press stopped printing its paper ten months previous.

  • 1991 (June)
    Stone Lanes is closed after the owner, Murco, Inc., has financial difficulties. The bowling lane reopens a year later with new ownership.

  • 1991 (July 4)
    Victory Park is rededicated to honor the service people participating in the Persian Gulf Desert Storm Operation. The newly refurbished monument, in memory of Norwood's service people lost in WWI, WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War, is rededicated by Mayor Joseph E. Sanker.

  • 1992 (June 5)
    The J. H. Day Company moves its Norwood operations to Florence, Kentucky, in a consolidation of its operations. The company, at 4932 Beech Street, had been in Norwood for more than 50 years. It was founded in 1887. It manufactured industrial mixing machines for the food service and pharmaceutical industries. The Norwood property is later acquired by the Rumpke Company.

  • 1992 (June 22)
    Fifth Third Bank moves its Norwood branch from 4730 Montgomery Road to the northwest corner of Smith Road and Sherman Avenue.

  • 1992 (June 23)
    At a meeting, Norwood City Council, the city administration, residents and the Belevedere Corporation agree to a phase one development of the 1,200-foot Wesley Avenue extension that will end as a cul-de-sac at the back of the Salvation Army building. The Central Parke property will serve as collatoral for bonds that are to be repaid by a special tax assesment on the property.

    Just a few days earlier, two long-time Park Avenue residents surprise the city and the developer with their find of a 102-year-old deed dedicating the property (the islands on Park Avenue) "to public use forever for park purposes only." The Norwood Safety Service Director at the time, Darrel Maxwell, says he understands the word "forever" in a document to mean 99 years. He supports a two-phase approach, where a temporary cul-de-sac will be built in phase one, and the road exit on Park Avenue would be done after the "controversy" is "cleared up."

  • 1992 (July)
    Stone Lanes reopens after being closed in June 1991. The new owner, the Bedinghaus family, bought the bowling lane at 3746 Montgomery Road from Murco, Inc. in April.

  • 1992
    A joint effort to improve the facades of the buildings on the west side of Montgomery Road between Elm and Lawrence Avenues by the city, Belvedere Corporation and The Norwood Chamber of Commerce was started. Mayor Joseph E. Sanker said, "Because of the historic nature of that district, it is our desire to restore and upgrade as opposed to tearing down. With all of the redevelopment, this is one of the few remaining strips of what used to be known as 'The Pike.' We want to preserve that part of our history." Ten years later, most of these buildings were demolished for a relocated Walgreens drugstore.

  • 1993
    Norwood enactes a law in 1993 that set curfews of midnight-5 a.m. for under 18 years old and 10 p.m.-5 a.m. for those under 16. (A Cincinnati Enquirer story on Sunday, July 16, 2006, stated that in 2005 there were 54 citations for curfew violation.)

  • 1998 (March)
    Former Norwood Mayor Joseph W. Shea, Jr. dies.

  • 1999
    Lear Corporation acquires United Technologies Automotive Systems (which had been made partly from the old Sheller-Globe company, the successor of Globe-Wernicke Industries and one-time parent of Norwood's Globe-Wernicke Company) from United Technologies Corporation.
    

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