DELHI PRESS
Your Community Press newspaper serving Delhi Township and other West Cincinnati neighborhoods
WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2021 | BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS | PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
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LIVES REMEMBERED
Making superstars, ordinary guys look fi ne suited ‘Peppe’ Ramundo West Side tailor was third-generation clothier Kaitlin Lewis Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Real estate agent Don Johnson displays a rendering of a new home slated to be built during a ground breaking ceremony in East Price Hill's Incline District in Cincinnati on Monday, July 19. A series of new, modern homes with two-car garages, multiple bathrooms and bedrooms are slated to be built in the west side neighborhood, the group announced. PHOTOS BY SAM GREENE/THE ENQUIRER
Local developer plans new homes in East Price Hill Rachel Smith Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
A local developer has plans to boost redevelopment in East Price Hill’s Incline District, beginning with the construction of over two dozen single-family homes. The homes will be within eight blocks of each other and are estimated to be in the $400,000 price range, according to a recent release by Autumnwood Group. Kim Knoppe, home builder and Cincinnati native, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony July 19 at 658 Hawthorne Avenue. Knoppe said he wanted to create a “wonderful single-family community” that would raise local home values and motivate young people to remain in the area. In the release, Knoppe described the project as “something that would lift up the entire neighborhood.” According to a news release the new construction includes plans for: h A gated community at Price and Mt. Hope Avenues which will include eight, single-family homes featuring rear-loaded two-car garages, wood and beam ceilings, and some rooftop terraces; h Ten single-family, three-fl oor homes at the end of Grand Avenue in Cityscape, which will include wood and beam ceilings and rooftop terraces; h Eight three-story homes within Price, Chateau and Summit Avenues. These three-bedroom houses will include 2 1⁄ 2 baths, a two-car tandem garage, and wood and beam ceilings in the kitchen and living room; h Two a three-story condo building with elevators and rooftop terraces with a view of the city and Ohio River at the end of Grand Avenue; and h A 2,700 square foot, single-family home on West Eighth near the Incline Public House which will include three bedrooms, two baths, wood and beam ceilings, elevator and rooftop terrace with a view of the city and Ohio River. Like many neighborhoods in Cincinnati, the Price Hill area has been trying to raise home values for years since recession-era losses resulted in foreclosures. East Price Hill’s Incline District
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Kim Knoppe, owner of the Autumnwood Group, takes about his long history of growing up and living in the neighborhood during a ground breaking ceremony in East Price Hill's Incline District in Cincinnati on July 19.
Beloved West Side tailor Joseph “Peppe” Ramundo died peacefully on Tuesday, July 20, surrounded by his family. He was 94 years old. Ramundo was born in Fuscaldo, Italy, and grew up watching his father work as a tailor, who learned his skills from his grandfather. Ramundo learned side-by-side with his father for many years and brought the art of tailoring with him to Cincinnati in the early 1950s. Ramundo’s son, Carmen, who is now a fourth-generation tailor, said his father arrived in Cincinnati with only $30 in his pocket and no knowledge of how to speak English. Decades later, Ramundo has made a name for his family at his business, Peppe Ramundo Custom Tailors, in West Price Hill. “He came a long way, from kind of rags to riches,” Carmen Ramundo said. “I know he would never say that, but he really did.” Ramundo fi rst started in Cincinnati working as many as three jobs at a time, his son said. He eventually grew some roots at Hyde Park Clothes in Newport, where Ramundo worked as head designer. His son said he heard his father was encouraged by many while working at Hyde Park Clothes to create his own business. Hyde Park Clothes even donated a majority of the machinery Ramundo needed to get started when he left to start his business. In 1967, Ramundo established Peppe Ramundo Custom Tailors across the street from Western Hills University High School. His son shared that his father’s work was recognized by many early on. GQ magazine even asked Ramundo to design a suit to be worn in their 1970 edition. Ramundo’s talent has caught the eye of many well-known names in Cincinnati as well, including Reds Hall-ofFamer Pete Rose, who Carmen Ramundo said ended up being a close family friend. Rose even let Carmen borrow his Rolls Royce to drive on his wedding day. Ramundo went on to pass the family trade to Carmen, who worked sideby-side with his father for over 40 years and will continue to work the family business. See TAILOR, Page 2A
Mayoral candidate David Mann speaks about the upcoming development in the neighborhood during a ground breaking ceremony in East Price Hill's Incline District in Cincinnati on Monday, July 19.
Cincinnati City Council Member Betsy Sundermann talks about her experiences living in the neighborhood during a ground breaking ceremony in East Price Hill's Incline District in Cincinnati.
specifi cally has inspired other redevelopment projects like the live-work dwellings by developer KB Partners, which aimed to attract entrepreneurs and artists to the area in 2016. Knoppe has bought 76 lots with
plans to buy more. “I can’t tell you what a warm feeling it gives me to be able to go into my old neighborhood and build all of these homes within blocks of where I was born,” Knoppe said in the release.
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Peppe Ramundo at work at his shop in Western Hills. CARMEN RAMUNDO
Vol. 94 No. 32 © 2021 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED $1.00
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