CPA's Upstairs Downstairs to showcase North Avondale

Six of North Avondale's architectural gems will be on display Saturday, May 10, from 1 PM to 5 PM.

The Cincinnati Preservation Association's (CPA) 2008 Upstairs Downstairs Historic House Tour will feature homes from Rose Hill Park, Avondale's first planned subdivision.

"We try to have our tours in neighborhoods with older homes with rich architectural history," says Mary Piper, North Avondale resident and chair of the CPA's House Tour Committee.  "And it's a good way to show people the different neighborhoods in the city."

The neighborhood of North Avondale became home to many wealthy German-Jewish families, many of whom had prospered from businesses begun in Cincinnati's West End.

In the post-World War II era, the North Avondale Neighborhood Association has fought blockbusting and has promoted better intra-community relations, ensuring that the racially and economically diverse residential character of the neighborhood is preserved.

"It's a place where people move to stay," Piper says.  "We have second and third generations - their children move back, and their childrens' children."

Properties featured on the tour include:

• The Belvedere Condominiums (1925), Second Renaissance Revival
• The Levine House (1937), Norman Revival
• The Gerrard House (1915, 1929), Tudor Revival
• The Mack House (1929-1931), Tudor Revival
• The Wertheimer House (1925), Spanish Colonial Revival
• The Goodwin House (1916), Prairie Style

"We hope that people take away an appreciation for the wonderful housing stock that there is in Cincinnati," Piper says.

Tickets for the self-guided tour are $25 for CPA members and $30 for non-members, and are available by calling (513) 721-4506 or by visiting the house tour website.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Mary Piper, chair, CPA House Tour Committee 

Photography by Scott Beseler