(Editor’s note: This is the biographical sketch that Lissa wrote for the original “Melissa Kramer’s Cincinnati” website in the winter of 2010.)
Lissa in 2009 with her book, “The Inclines of Cincinnati.”
The original purpose of this site was to show off my book, The Inclines of Cincinnati, which was released in March 2009. The history of transportation in Cincinnati is meshed with Cincinnati’s social, economic, physical and architectural history, so I have expanded the vision of the site to include photos and posts about historic, abandoned, and endangered bridges, tunnels, factories, hospitals, hotels and houses. History can have many different versions, to a point. However, I make an effort to use the most credible sources available, as it is my intention to celebrate these things, not reinvent them.
My first experience at the University of Cincinnati was a 3-year stint in the Architectural Engineering Technology program at the College of Applied Science. Classes in architectural history, drawing and construction methods deepened my love of 19th and 20th century architecture, of which Cincinnati and Covington have plenty. The strong sense of place that the neighborhoods of Italianate houses I knew as a child created contrasted sharply with the placelessness of the nondescript strip malls that line the streets today.
During my career as a journalism student at the University of Cincinnati, I have focused my writing on urban history, and this site serves as an outlet for my curiosity. I will graduate in August with a bachelor of arts in journalism, a minor in English, and a certificate in professional writing. I plan to work as a book editor.
When I am not reading, writing, or snooping around old buildings, I enjoy music, theater and driving with the top down and volunteering as a tour docent for the Cincinnati Preservation Association.