Residential Scenes

AVONDALE

                           
Two Forest Ave. Homes             Beechwood Avenue                     Betula Avenue                   Charles Roth Residence                                 

   Thanks to Bill Howes we now know about the two houses in the first card above. The home on the left is 358 and the one on the right is 400 Forest Avenue on the NW corner of Forest and Alaska. It seems both houses are still standing. Both homes are also owned by the same person. The 400 residence is vacant and is in very bad shape. Bill seems to think the original owner was A. E. Burkhardt (President of The Burkhardt Bros. clothing store on 4th St.)  Bill also believes it was designed by S. Hannaford. I believe (but not positive) that the fourth card above belonged to the Charles Roth who was president of the Cosmopolitan Bank & Savings swc Freeman Ave. & Oehler. He was also treasurer of The John C. Roth Packing Co. The last image is a newspaper artist rendition of Charles Roth.

                               
Lenox  Place                                                                                                Rose  Hill 

   Lenox Place is part of the Rose Hill subdivision of Avondale. Platted by Robert Mitchell, owner of the Mitchell Furniture Co., it was planned to attract the upper-middle class. It worked and many affluent businessmen built substantial homes here, (such as Samuel Pogue, Andrew Erkenbrecher, and Mitchell himself). They formed the core of affluent North Avondale.

                       
Vernon Place                                                 Reading  Road

CLIFTON

  Thanks once more to Bill Howes I now know that the second card below was built for Sir Alfred T. Goshorn at 3540 Clifton Ave. It was designed by one of Cincinnati's greatest architects, James W. McLaughlin and completed in 1890. Goshorn (1833-1902) was born at Eighth & Cutter Sts. Cincinnati. He was Knighted by Queen Victoria for services rendered the British crown during his three-year term as president of the commission for the International Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia (1876). He also received decorations from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Turkey. He is Cincinnati's only genuine Knight. His home featured an art gallery and a gold-plated chandelier. Sir Goshorn was president of a paint manufacturing Co. He became known as the "father" of the Cincinnati Industrial Expositions. He was also vice-president of the College of Music, the first director of the Cincinnati Art Museum, mayor of Clifton, a city councilman. He was also one of the men to put up the money for the first professional Reds baseball team in 1869. This home is now on the National Register of Historic Places (1972).

           
      Clifton Avenue                       Among tropical plants

   The card below shows the home of  "Boss" Cox. From 1884 to 1916, using ward politics he ruled Cincinnati by gaining control of every ward in Cincinnati. This 22-room mansion, called Parkview because of its proximity to Burnet Woods, was built in 1895. It is located at the corner of Brookline and Jefferson avenues and was placed on the Register of Historic Places in 1973. The most famous Cincinnati architect, Samuel Hannaford, designed the mansion.   After his death his widow continued to live there until her death in 1938. The house remained vacant until 12 years later when it became the Fraternity House Pi Kappa Alpha for nearby University of Cincinnati for the next 60 years. A one time frat member bought the building and has donated the property to the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. You can read more of Cox on  the Wielerts Tavern page.

                   
G. B. Cox's Residence                                  not a postcard    

                         
A Stately Oak               A Clifton Residence              John Hauser Residence                       R. J. Patton Home            

   The 3rd card is Pine Ridge, the home of the painter John Hauser. Hauser (1859-1913) was born and grew up in the Over-The Rhine area of Cincinnati. He studied art at the Ohio Mechanics' Institute, and in 1873 enrolled in the McMicken Art School. Beginning in 1880 he began studying in Munich at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. In 1883 he became a member of the Cincinnati Schools drawing department until he withdrew in 1886. He again studied in Europe at Munich, Paris, and Dusseldorf. In 1890 he became one of the early members of the Cincinnati Art Club. 1891 was the year he became interested in the American Indian and the west. He constantly traveled to Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota painting Native Americans. In 1901 John and his wife Minnie became adopted members of the Sioux Nation with the names "Straight White Shield" and "Bring us Sweets," respectively. They spent considerable time on the Pine Ridge Reservation, living there 6 months a years between 1901 and 1905. In 1904 they built a home in the Clifton area and named it "Pine Ridge", reflecting their love and respect for the Sioux. John died in 1913 and Minnie died 2 years later.
  Although R. J. Patton was president of the R. J. Patton Co., (222 E. 4th St.), which was an awning company it appears he did not want to use his product on his own residence. The drawing is a newspaper artists rendering.

  This 3 story mansion belonged to Alexander McDonald (1833-1910). He was a Scottish immigrant and partner of John D. Rockefeller. He was president of Standard Oil Company, a director of two railroads and the Third National Bank. In 1920 George Balch (1862-1932), president of the Cincinnati Reality Co. and treasurer of the C. H. & D. Railroad bought the house. The home was willed to the Episcopal Diocese who then sold it to the Cincinnati Board of Education. In 1961 it was razed to make way for the Clifton Primary School now in operation on the site. The 3rd image is another newspaper drawing.

COLLEGE  HILL

                                                                                                                        Not a postcard
                           
                                                  Real Photo Postcard                                                            

  This mansion is called Laurel Court and is located at 5870 Belmont Avenue. In 1894 Peter G. Thompson founded what is now called Champion International Paper Co. Construction began in 1901 and was completed at a cost of $450,000. He then proceeded to buy $500,00 worth of furnishings and plants for his formal gardens, atrium, and greenhouses. The property was acquired by the Cincinnati Archdiocese in the 1940s as the residence for Archbishops John McNicholas (1877-1950) and Karl Alter (1905-1977). In the late 50's the land was divided so that McAuley High School and the Mother of Mercy Convent could be built. Laurel Court was then sold to Donald  "Buddy"  LaRosa in 1977 for $350,000 for use as a corporate headquarters until 1990. LaRosa secured the mansion's listing on the national historic register, restored the home and grounds, and bought back many of the statues that had been in the home but had been sold by the archdiocese. In 1990 Roger Loth bought it and resided there from 1991-2000. Judy and Larry Moyer purchased the home in 2000 and are the current caretakers.

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Charles S Rankin Residence
Oldest Brick house -College Hill

           
E. H. Lunken Residence         E. Lunken drawing

   Edmund Lunken  (1861-1944) was the son of Frederick Lunkenheimer (1825-1889) founder of the Lunkenheimer Company, one of the nation's leading manufacturers of pressure valves. After his fathers death in 1889 he took over the business. In 1892 he dropped the "heimer" from his name and became Edmund Lunken.  In 1919 he became chairman of the board and his son Eshelby (1890-1945) became president. Both men were very interested in aviation the company supplied valves for airplanes; Charles Lindburg used their valves and other products in his Spirit of Saint Louis. In 1930 Edmund gave the city 230 acres of land near Kellogg Ave. for the creation of a municipal airport which was named Lunken Airport in his honor. They both died within a span of one year.

GLENDALE

Eliza House

   The Eliza House is located on Oak Road in the southwest part of Glendale. It is a two story brick house on the Mortimore Matthews estate. Before the Civil War Glendale was a station on the Underground Railroad. It is said that the real Eliza, model for the character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous story, made her way here after crossing the river on the ice at Ripley, Ohio.

HYDE  PARK

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         Erie Ave. Near Shaw                     Erie Avenue                        Card showing house built       California Bungalow-Paxton Rd.
                                                          by Warren Richards
                                                          516 Gwynne Bldg.

MILFORD

       
                                                  The Irwin Homestead                                                  

   In 1895 William Taylor Erwin and his wife, Mary Louise Orr, purchased 88 acres above the Little Miami River in Milford. The house constructed of rock and stone was known as the Rock House Lodge and the estate was called the Ripples for the sound of water flowing by. The estate had a staff of six maids, a cook, butler, nurse, 4 farmers, 3 gardeners, coachman/chauffeur and a houseboy. Families such as the Tafts and Proctors were seen at parties of 400 people or more.

               
      Hillside Cabin  Milford               Cleveland Ave. South Milford

MONTGOMERY

Unknown Residence

MOUNT  AUBURN

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         Hillside  homes                  German Consul's Residence

MOUNT  HEALTHY   

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A Mt. Healthy Residence    

MOUNT  WASHINGTON

Mear's Avenue

NORTHSIDE

                                       
 Cherry Street                                     Pullen Avenue                                    Hoffner Homestead   
W. from Chase                                                                                                                                        

   The 3rd card says Haffner Residence but is mis-spelled. The Hoffner Residence was built in 1811 and was known as the Hotel of the Golden Lamb. Located at Blue Rock and Hamilton Ave., it was purchased in 1836 by Jacob Hoffner and transformed the hotel into the residence shown above. It consisted of 6 acres of formal gardens including a greenhouse with bronze griffins, a pool, and more than two dozen statues gathered during his travels in Europe. After Hoffner died (1894) the property was eventually razed (early 1900s) and the two lion statues (Mic & Mac) at the entrance to the estate were donated to the University of Cincinnati where they can be found guarding McMicken Hall.

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  Andrew Jergens Residence. 1615 Bruce Ave.                  Anna & Andrew Jergens

  Andrew Jergens (1852-1929)  co-founded the Andrews Soap Company on Spring Grove Avenue. It was at one time the largest toilet soap factory in the world. In the 1890's Jergens moved into this 3 story Gothic style house on the corner of Hamilton and Bruce in Northside. The first card has his name misspelled. This corner was known as "millionaires Corner"  for the 4 wealthy businessmen who built homes there. His brother built his home on the southeast corner in 1895, Charles Geilfus secretary and treasurer of the Andrew Jergens Co. built on the northeast corner two years later. Charles Silverson, president of the Schlueter Cycle Manufacturing Co. lived on the fourth corner. The land at 1615 Bruce Avenue is now known as Jergens Park. After his son died, the house was torn down and the land donated to the City Park Board. One entire room of the house was donated to the Cincinnati Art Museum. Called the Damascus Room it was brought back as a souvenir from Syria.

NORWOOD

                       
Four cards showing Floral Avenue 

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 Mound Avenue                                                  Forest Avenue                         

OAKLEY

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Brazee Street

PRICE  HILL

                                               
Elberon Avenue                                                Phillips Avenue                                            Price Avenue    

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