The Cincinnati Beacon
6600 Paddock Road: The Secret Jail Site?
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati
 Photo courtesy of here.
So what’s the deal with 6600 Paddock Road, the former site of the Lewis Center? That organization moved to Summit Road, and became Summit Behavioral Health Care. Here’s the auditor’s record. But no record exists for 6600 Paddock. Sources tell me the City of Cincinnati owns the property. Is there truth to the idea that it may someday become a jail?
Similar searches on the Auditor’s site find empty spaces. No record for the pictured lot exists for E. 66th Street, or any of the other neighboring streets. It’s like a strange black hole as far as property reports are concerned.
In the last ten years, at least one organization offered to buy the facility—hoping to turn it into a school. No deal. And so year after year, the lot sits empty. Unused. Invisible online. What is Cincinnati waiting for? Will it be developed? Into what? No one will buy high-priced condos at that location. Is a jail really out of the question?
That’s why I just sent the following to City Hall:
Dear Mayor Mallory and City Council:
I am writing to inquire about the site of the former Lewis Center at 6600 Paddock Road. I can find no record of this property online. It is my understanding that the City of Cincinnati owns it, and has held onto the empty facility for several years, turning down offers to purchase it.
What is planned for this real estate? Might it ever be used for a jail?
Thanks,
The Dean of Cincinnati |