Mount Lookout

Welcome to the tree-line and friendly neighborhood known as Mount Lookout. A mostly residential area, Mount Lookout’s population is 97.1% white with the rest of the population fairly evenly split amongst other races. Approximately 25% of Mount Lookout residents are under the age of 18.Schools in the Mount Lookout neighborhood include Cardinal Pacelli Elementary School, Kilgour Elementary School, and Riverview East Academy. Residents also send their children to Hyde Park’s Clark Montessori Junior and Senior High School, the first public Montessori high school in the United States.

Christ the King Church is located in Mount Lookout and other near-by places of worship include Hyde Park’s St. Mary’s Catholic Church, The Church of the Redeemer Episcopal Church, First Church of Christ Scientist Church, Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church, Hyde Park Baptist Church, and The Knox Presbyterian Church.

For more about Mount Lookout visit their community website at www.mtlookout.org.

Homes in Mt. Lookout are generally large and older, selling for around $301,991 , containing an average three bedrooms and at least two and a half bathrooms. Homeowners here pay $1,683 in taxes per $100,000 income and receive an average 34.3% return on their homes in five years. In 2007, 202 homes sold in Mt. Lookout for an average 95.2% of the original asking price.

Annexed as a part of Cincinnati in 1870, the Mount Lookout area was originally known as Delta. The area was re-named when the Cincinnati Astronomical Observatory moved to the neighborhood from the Mount Adams area in 1872. Now Mount Lookout is the Cincinnati Observatory, the oldest observatory in the Western Hemisphere. Founded in 1842, the Observatory is made of up two National Historic Landmark buildings and home to the world’s oldest telescope, which is still open for public use year-round. The Observatory not only offers daytime tours for school groups, but also nighttime lectures and telescope viewings in conjunction with the Cincinnati Astronomical Society, one of the oldest amateur astronomical societies in the United States.

Also located near the Mount Lookout area is the Columbia-Tusculum settlement by Alms Park. Columbia-Tusculum was the first south-western Ohio settlement founded in 1788 and was once home to Sergeant William Brown, one of the first recipients of the award which is now known as the Purple Heart.

In December residents celebrate Luminaria, Mount Lookout’s annual festival of lights begun in 1975. Also know as “Light Up Mount Lookout”, Luminaria is a single night when homes, businesses and the Cincinnati Observatory all light of window fronts with lights, candles and luminaries around the neighborhood. During this time, many local businesses offer later hours and holiday specials.For more events in Mount Lookout visit their community calendar.

Dining in Mount Lookout is a fun experience with a wide variety of options such as restaurants such as Jaspers, a restaurant nightclub, and Dancing Wasabi sushi bar. Most notable of the Mount Lookout eateries is Zip’s Cafe. Consistently recognized as Cincinnati’s best burger and best non-chain fast food, Zip’s has been around since 1926 serving Cincinnatians fresh tasty burgers in a fun, friendly atmosphere. With plenty of sturdy wooden tables and booths for sitting, Zip’s has a comfortable, older and home-like feel with distressed wood, antique signs and historical pictures hanging around the space. Kids and even some adults are often entertained by the model training the runs overhead against the walls of Zip’s, adding to the fun, family and group friendly dining experience.Mount Lookout is also known for the unique Lookout Joe, Mount Lookout Coffee Roasters, which began in Mount Lookout and has since expanded to include a downtown location. A specialty coffee shop, Lookout Joe offers both fair trade and fresh brewed coffee, roasted on site before your eyes for ultimate flavor and quality. The Mount Lookout location features indoor and outdoor seating, lots of coffee and pastry options as well as a large coffee bean roaster right out in the open. If you love the smell of coffee just walking by Lookout Joe will make you happy, but if you love fresh, flavorful coffee, coming inside for a cup with truly make your day. The staff is friendly and helpful when selecting a single drink or a bag of beans to take home.

Mt. Lookout Square is the central shopping and dining area of Mount Lookout. Some unique attractions on the square include the Stand Bar, Keepsake Photography and the Beacon Food Mart which features fresh cut deli meats and other produce with outdoor seating to eat sandwiches and other items from the Mart. Also on Mount Lookout Square is Unicorn Miniatures, a doll house boutique that sells locally handmade doll houses as well as a wide range of miniature doll house accessories. This small store full of even smaller worlds isn’t just for little girls; men and women of all ages shop and collect from Unicorn Miniatures.

Mount Lookout contains Alms Park, a site formerly known as Bald Hill because it is believed Native Americans in the area cut down the trees from this hilltop site in order to spy on others coming into their territory. Alms Park contains a small playground and a few wooded areas all located high above the rest of the Cincinnati area. Alms Park is best known for its incredible patio view of the Ohio River on one side where visitors can watch boats and barges go by and of Lunken Airport, a small public, but non-commercial local airport where visitors can see airplanes land on the other side of the park. Alms is a great place to eat a picnic lunch and enjoy the view on a warm day or take a walk to see the stars on a cool evening.
At the base of the hills of Mount Lookout is Reeves Golf Course and Driving Range, a recreational complex that also features a large playground and tennis courts. Reeves is open to the public for playing and practicing golf. The facility also offers golf clinics and lessons for adults and children to learn about the game for the first time or to improve upon their skills.
Also in the neighborhood is Mount Lookout Swim Club an outdoor seasonal pool club which offers a place to play, relax or workout in the water for everyone in Mount Lookout. Swim and tennis lessons are available through the Swim Club as well as swimming and diving teams for ages 18 and under. When Cincinnati summers hit, neighborhood residents are sure to be found cooling off and hanging out at the Mount Lookout Swim Club.