A Field Guide to Street Tiles and Other Literal Street Art of the Queen City

Written By Ronny Salerno

When it comes to this topic, I think it’s easiest (for right or wrong) to just refer to it as “literal street art.” Out of all the subjects I’ve covered over the years, literal street art has been one of my favorites. However, I’ve accumulated so much information—and the discussion is so multi-faceted—that I felt it was time to truly organize it all.

So, think of this as a choose-your-own-adventure type of deal:

  • If you want to go on the narrative journey: I recommend you start with this post from 2017 which will eventually lead you back to here.

  • If you’re just interested in information: below is all I know.

Table of Contents

Background & Acknowledgments

What follows is a timeline and record of my personal intersection with the topic of “street tiles.” Given the complex nature of these things—and all the documentation I’ve undertaken—I felt it was time to truly organize this information and I elected to do it in a manner similar to the internet I grew up reading. One right before social media was commonplace, and basic HTML websites with jump links boasted simple, zine-like vibes while featuring random topics enthusiastically covered by interesting people.

It doesn’t matter that I think it’s far more likely that we’ll find evidence of extra-terrestrial life before the City of Cincinnati ever has proper public transport, but at least I’ve enjoyed reading sites like DreamlandResort.com and Cincinnati-Transit.net.

This whole notion and stylistic set up was inspired by a conversation I had with The Tile Research Institute. I hope you find it interesting, informative, and entertaining, but most of all: I hope it helps you view the world around you in a more curious way.

There are several people I need to recognize and thank for their contributions to not just this guide, but the overall story:

And of course:

  • Anyone who’s ever slapped a tile on the street

 

Published Content

The main posts I’ve authored on this subject over the years are:

  1. Toynbee Tiles and House of Hades [August 2, 2017]

  2. Toynbee/House of Hades Tiles: An Update [June 14, 2018]

  3. House of Hades Returns [August 31, 2023]

  4. FISH LOGS Tiles [March 7, 2024]

  5. The Medium is the Message [October 12, 2025]

 

Timeline

  • 2001

    • August

      • John Stoehr publishes “News: Out of this World” in Cincinnati CityBeat which mentions “at least three” (presumably original) Toynbee examples existing in the Queen City.

  • 2009

  • 2014

  • 2015

    • December

    • Exact Date Unkown

      • The Contemporary Arts Center shares a photo on Twitter of a tile they saved from road construction (eventually documented as No. 5)

  • 2016

  • 2017

    • July

      • I hear about the phenomenon of “Toynbee tiles” for the first time. Given my work, I’m instantly captivated and go down a rabbit hole about the subject while seeking to photograph any local examples in my hometown of Cincinnati.

    • August

      • Under the Queen City Discovery banner, I publish my first story regarding the tiles. It’s also the first time I learn of House of Hades, as well as, buZ blurr/Colossus of Roads.

    • September

      • Work from stikman begins appearing in Cincinnati streets. Phil Armstrong documents 24 examples.

  • 2018

    • June

      • A portion of No. 2 is partially removed during roadwork. After speaking with the construction crew, I end up taking possession of the segment with the intention of returning it to either House of Hades or buZ blurr. This results in the publishing of my second story.

    • July

  • 2019

  • 2020

    • December

      • QueenCityDiscovery.com and QueenCityDisco.com become RonnySalerno.com

  • 2021

  • 2021

  • 2023

  • 2024

    • January

      • buZ blurr passes away.

    • February

    • March

      • An additional FISH LOGS tile is located and FL-03 is documented.

      • My fourth story, specifically about FISH LOGS variants, is published.

    • August

      • In preparation for a new story—I document the status of all known Cincinnati tiles, conduct an interview with the Tile Research Institute, and reach out to the Contemporary Arts Center.

        • With the assistance of the CAC, it’s confirmed that a House of Hades tile is still in their archives.

          • Tile No. 5 is documented.

  • 2025

    • August

      • Work on a fifth story finally resumes as I once again document the status of all of Cincinnati’s known tiles.

        • No. 23-10 is noticed and documented.

        • FL-04 is noticed and documented, but is observed to be deteriorating.

        • FL-02 is observed to have been lost to roadwork.

        • FL-03 is observed to be deteriorating.

    • October

      • Another visual survey of Cincinnati’s tiles is conducted.

      • My fifth story is published

      • This “Field Guide to Street Tiles and Other Literal Street Art of the Queen City” is published

 

Documented Tiles

Cincinnati

Original Toynbee Tiles

Currently, the only record of original Toynbee tiles in Cincinnati comes from John Stoehr’s August 2, 2001 piece in Cincinnati CityBeat: “News: Out of This World.” Stoehr mentions the city boasting three tiles (none of which remain):

  • One at Fifth & Walnut stating: “Toynbee Idea in Movie 2001. Resurrect Dead on Planet Jupiter.”

  • One at Sixth & Walnut stating: “Toynbee Idea in Movie 2001. Resurrect Dead on Planet Jupiter” (presumed to be the Gibson Tile).

  • One at Fourth & Main stating: “Toynbee Idea in Kubrick’s 2001. Resurrect Dead in Planet Jupiter.”

Thanks to Cincinnati CityBeat: the following images show a scan of Stoehr’s printed piece. Although the image captions don’t mention specific locations, one of the tiles clearly appears to be the Gibson Tile.

Cincinnati CityBeat; Volume 7, Issue 37; August 2-8, 2001; pages 13 and 15.
A full resolution scan is available here.

Thank you to Editor in Chief Ashley Moor for retrieving this issue from CityBeat’s archives. A great local resource and example of independent, local journalism—Cincinnati CityBeat can be supported here.

 

The Gibson Tile

Presumed to be an original Toynbee tile since, in addition to its physical appearance, its location and messaging align with John Stoehr’s City Beat reporting.

  • Documented by Denny Gibson in 2009, but lost to roadwork in ensuing years.

 

House of Hades “First Wave”

Presumed to have been placed in 2011 and the extent of Cincinnati’s initial House of Hades pieces. Several feature references to HOH collaborating with artist buZ blurr/Colossus of Roads.

🟡 No. 1

  • Documented by 5chw4r7z in 2015.

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2017, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

🟡 No. 2

  • Partially removed in 2018 due to roadwork, but the work crew was kind enough to salvage a portion so that I could ship it across the country.

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2018, and 2017.

🟡 No. 3

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, 2023, and 2017.

  • Documented by 5chw4r7z in 2015.

🔴 No. 4

  • Documented by 5chw4r7z in 2014.

  • Lost to roadwork sometime before 2017.

  • Previously existed at the intersection of Seventh & Walnut Streets.

🟡 No. 5

  • Lost to roadwork in 2015, saved by the Contemporary Arts Center and placed in storage.

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2024.

  • Previously existed at the intersection of Sixth & Walnut Streets.

 

stikman

stikman (stylized lowercase) is an anonymous artist reported to have begun working in the 1960s, but didn’t launch their eponymous stikmen until the early 1990s. In 2017, at least 24 examples appeared in the streets of Cincinnati. Documented by Phil Armstrong, none remain. Like the original tiler, stikman also hails from Philadelphia.

 

House of Hades “Second Wave”

Began appearing in early Spring of 2023, curing by the summer. Documented in collaboration with 5chw4r7z, eventually ten examples were found.

🟢 No. 23-01

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🟢 No. 23-02

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🟢 No. 23-03

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🟢 No. 23-04

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🟢 No. 23-05

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🟢 No. 23-06

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🟢 No. 23-07

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🟢 No. 23-08

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🟢 No. 23-09

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🟢 No. 23-10

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025.

 

FISH LOGS

These tiles are unique to Cincinnati’s Northisde neighborhood and reference to a former, iconic sign which advertised at an odd culinary dish at a now-closed local bar.

🟢 FL-01

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025, 2024, and 2023.

🔴 FL-02

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2024.

  • Previously existed at the intersection of Apple and Knowlton Streets.

🟡 FL-03

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025 and 2024.

🟡 FL-04

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2025.

 

Dayton, Ohio

Not far from Cincinnati, the city of Dayton received a House of Hades tile (assumed to have been placed during the 2023 “second wave”) which features a tribute to the original tiler.

  • Documented by Ronny Salerno in 2024.

 

Nashville

 

New York City

Was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this while we were on our way to get coffee in 2024.

 

Notes/Most Recent Cincinnati Count

Cincinnati has 17 street tiles ranging from “fair” to “deteriorating/in-storage” condition.

Extant tile locations are not posted publicly, but hints have been left for the curious and determined.

 

Since 2007, the content of this website (and its former life as Queen City Discovery) has been a huge labor of love.

If you’ve enjoyed stories like The Ghost Ship, abandoned amusement parks, the Cincinnati Subway, Fading Ads, or others over the years—might you consider showing some support for future projects? 

Donate
Ronny Salerno https://ronnysalerno.com
Previous

Testing a (Phone) Camera
Next

5. The Medium is the Message