Compound Alchemy

Exactly two years ago we found the apartment that would soon become our first Cincinnati home. A few frantic weeks later, we pulled up in a U-Haul at the gate to the Compound in Over-the-Rhine.

What no one told us, or maybe we didn’t comprehend, was that this is a veritable green paradise in the heart of the city, with a koi pond and a fire pit, in which residents can practice the farm-to-fork philosophy daily. Our lovely and giving landlords also introduced us to some of the most unique people and places in the basin.

As I started photographing the Compound, I met Roger, who was responsible for some of the more eccentric details that I was capturing. He soon ran away with the circus which, if you’re at all familiar with him, is almost to be expected. I eventually finished this small book project and kind of forgot about it until last November, when it received recognition from the Ohioana Library Association. Now, almost two years after moving here, I’m so pleased to have this record of some of my initial impressions of this place. And, rumor has it that Roger will be retiring from the circus and returning to Cincinnati soon.