USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The suburbs of Cincinnati : sketches, historical and descriptive > Part 9
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The hall running east and west through the building is twenty feet wide at its greatest breadth, and is finished with walnut wainscoting, which sur- rounds panels in fresco. Here, after the English custom, is the old-fash- ioned fire-place, six feet wide, for burning wood. Over it is an elegantly- wrought black walnut mantel, surmounted by three human figures, repre- senting Peace, Plenty, and Harmony. The hall is surrounded by a heavy black walnut cornice, that borders a handsomely-frescoed ceiling. The floor of the hall is composed of white and black marble tiling. On the left ascends the magnificent staircase of black and white walnut, exquisitely carved and highly polished.
On the south of the hall, in the south-west corner of the building, is the reception room, eighteen by nineteen feet, connected with the drawing room on the east by large double doors. The latter is a capacious room, twenty by thirty feet. The walls and ceilings of both are frescoed in
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admirable taste, the colors and tints being of unusual beauty, and happily adapted to each other. In the reception room the mantel is of red Lisbon and black Irish marbles, the latter forming the background. That in the drawing room is pure white Italian. The shelf of this is supported by statues of Summer and Winter, and the whole sustains a French mirror extending thence to the ceiling. The floor is rare marquetry, into which oak and walnut largely enter. Two features of the room are the etagere, a piece of elegant furniture, finished in mosaic, and the chandelier of twelve burners, consi-ting wholly of glass. The woodwork of these rooms, as well as of other apartment-, consists of oak and mahogany.
On the north of the hall, in the north-west corner of the building, is the library, eighteen feet square, finished with black walnut wainscoting, picked with ebony ornaments. The carving about the mantel of this room is of an exquisite character. The pilasters which support the entablature are ornamented with the busts of celebrated literary characters, carved in expensive woods. The ceiling consists of black walnut, with panels fin- ished in fresco. The floor is a piece of beautiful marquetry, consisting of alternate hexagonal blocks of oak and black walnut. In completeness and richness, there is no room of the mansion that is superior to this.
The dining room, which is on the north side of the hall, and immediately opposite the drawing room, is twenty-seven by eighteen feet. The walls of this luxurious apartment are richly wainscoted with polished oak surround- ing mahogany panels. The floor, like the other rooms, is marquetry, though of a different pattern. On the east is a large side board, built with the house. This extends to the cornice, which is of heavy oak. On the east is an open grate, with a mantel of the same material as the cornice, upon which there is some of the most elegant carving in the house. On the north is a large bay window, looking out upon the beautiful lawn and to the splendid landscape which is spread out on the north-west. Adjoining this is a complete china closet, to the rear of which are a breakfast room and kitchen.
The second story, in its subdivisions, does not vary materially from the
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first. The bed chambers, four in number, are twenty by eighteen feet. They are finished with black walnut, oak, and mahogany-the latter gener- ally composing the panels. These apartments are all frescoed, and, as below, the tints are in admirable taste. Adjoining each chamber is a large closet, almost meriting the name of room, containing bath tub, permanent washstand, supplies of hot and cold water, and every possible convenience.
All the glass used about the house is French plate, two panes to the win- dow. The furniture, in general, has been made to harmonize with the house, the same idea which is developed in the finish of the building having been carried out in the other. The attic is sufficiently capacious for five comfortable chambers.
The same may be said of Mr. Shillito's location that has been said of many others. The excellent building sites are so numerous about Cin- cinnati that no one, fortunately, can enjoy a monopoly of them. The one occupied and improved to-day only opens the way for another, to be pos- sessed by some one else to-morrow. In the vicinity of the city one range of hills succeeds another, so that there is scarcely a limit to the beautiful locations for suburban homes. Mr. Shillito and Mr. Bullock, who are neighbors, both enjoy in all directions superb landscapes. The configura- tion of the land hides the roads that are near. Mount Auburn, Walnut Hills, and Clifton, from various points, are clearly revealed ; while, still farther away, the undulating farms and forests, and distant hills, make up a background which each season clothes in its own peculiar beauty.
It is but just to state here that the completeness, beauty, and char- acter of the place is largely attributable to James W. Mclaughlin, the well-known architect, and Truman B. Handy, who built the house with the expectation of occupying it himself, but subsequently sold it to Mr. Shillito, who removed to it on its completion, during the holidays of 1866.
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RESIDENCE OF A. D. BULLOCK.
Bounded by the Lebanon road on the east and the section line or Burnet avenue on the west, in a district called Vernon Village, which, though claimed by both Mount Auburn and Walnut Hills, has had for many years a name of its own, by which it has been known both on maps and deeds.
This locality is a part of Mount Auburn, to which it is adjacent, and from which it has been separated by nothing but geographical lines. Run- ning through this little settlement is Oak street, on the south side of which is the old home of A. D. Bullock, now the property of the estate of the late James Wilson. The comfortable house is ensconced in shrubbery and shade trees, and is a place of decided retirement and repose.
Immediately opposite, on a part of the Arbegust property, which old Cincinnatians remember as the former headquarters for the best strawber- ries and cream, and the choicest vegetables, Mr. Bullock, in 1868, erected a residence of the Italian style, which will compare favorably with any within the suburbs of Cincinnati. The material is blue limestone, with freestone caps and water tables. The walls are broken ashlar work, with tooled corners. The roof is covered with blue slate. The main hall, run- ning north and south, is approached through a massive stone porch. nine- teen by twelve feet. The former is fifteen feet wide by twenty-eight feet in length, and terminates in another hall, ten feet in width by thirty-three feet in length. Approaching the main hall from the east is a third hall, fifteen by twenty feet, in which the main staircase is located.
In the south-east corner of the building is a reception room, fifteen by sixteen feet, communicating with the side hall. Immediately opposite. on the west side of the main hall, are the library and drawing rooms, the for- mer running north and south, and terminating in front in a large bay win- dow, and the other east and west, with a similar window looking to the west. These rooms are in direct communication with each other. Imme- diately east of the drawing room, on the opposite side of the main hall, is
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the spacious dining room, twenty-six and one-half by seventeen and one- half feet, with conservatory on the east, seventeen and one-half by twelve feet, the whole making a room of magnificent dimensions. These four rooms and the halls are so admirably adapted to each other, and are in such perfect communication, that there seems no room for the suggestion of the smallest improvement. On the same floor are the china closet, kitchen, and laundry. The floors of the first story are generally of beautiful marquetry, the hall and dining room of black walnut and oak, and the parlor of oak alone.
One of the noticeable features of the house is the staircase, which con- sists of English short flights, each leading to a broad landing-the whole constructed of black and white walnut.
The second floor corresponds with the arrangement below. The cham- bers are large and provided with bath rooms, hot and cold water, and every modern convenience. The main building has an attic, with six large bed chambers. The house is finished throughout with black walnut and white pine, and with painted walls and frescoed ceilings. All the glass used is French plate, with two panes to the window. On the east side of the building is a spacious veranda, fifteen feet wide. From the south-east cor- ner rises a square tower sixty-four feet in hight, from which landscapes of rare beauty and extent are enjoyed throughout the year. It is not an exaggeration to say that Mr. Bullock has one of the most desirable places in the vicinity of Cincinnati. Accessible from all points, and yet by no means public, his location is one of the best. His grounds, nine acres in extent, are elevated and beautiful. From his residence he enjoys the extensive landscapes in which all this district abounds. The grounds have been improved under the superintendence of Messrs. Strauch and Nerney, well-known landscape gardeners of Cincinnati. The architect of the build- ing is Mr. Notman, of Philadelphia, and the builder Truman B. Handy.
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RESIDENCE OF A. H. HINKLE.
Among the new improvements is the residence of A. H. Hinkle, on a lot purchased, two years ago, at the McGregor sale. The lot, as all know who have noticed it, is an elevated one, from which the building shows to the best advantage.
The house is of the modern French style, constructed of brick with stone quoins, and elaborate stone trimmings about the windows-the latter con- sisting of complete slender stone pillars supporting entablatures. The extreme dimensions, including porch, are sixty-eight by ninety feet. On the south rises a square tower, the summit of which is eighty-five feet from the ground. The building is entered through a stone portico, flanked by verandas. The latter, on the south, passes around and connects with the tower. The floor and base of the veranda are of stone, while the remain- der of this part of the structure is of hard wood. The main hall, at its greatest width, is fourteen feet, and its total length fifty-eight feet. In the south-west corner is a reception room, sixteen feet square. A smaller hall on the south leads from the tower to the main hall. The drawing room, sixteen by thirty feet, with a bay window on the north, five by ten feet, occupies the north-west part of the edifice. In the rear of the drawing room is the library, sixteen feet square, while immediately opposite, on the south of the main hall, the family room, sixteen by twenty-four feet, is located. The latter has a bay window, five by eight feet, looking to the south. The dining room, sixteen by twenty-three feet, is in the rear of the family room. Attached to this is the butler's, china, and store rooms, that communicate with the kitchen and laundry, located in the basement.
The second story, in its arrangement, corresponds with the first. Each chamber has connected with it a room containing washing and bathing apparatus. The attic is roomy, and is arranged for sleeping apartments.
The building is splendidly finished in five or six varieties of hard wood, and plentifully supplied with modern conveniences. Extensive closets, lined
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with cedar and furnished with cedar drawers, are constructed in the house, and the whole building is supplied with hot and cold water. An elevator for the transportation of heavy articles is provided, in addition to a glazed earthen tube, twelve inches in diameter, which extends from the attic to the laundry in the basement, through which the soiled clothing is passed from each floor.
The house is heated by Brown's hot-water furnace, the smoke-stack of which passes up through a ventilating shaft in the center of the building, which extends from the cellar to the roof. Into this shaft ranges are con- structed in such manner as to completely ventilate the surrounding rooms.
The glass used throughout is French plate, two panes to the window. The architect is A. C. Nash, of this city, who has had general supervision of the erection of the building. The carpenter work, which is very supe- rior, was done by James Griffith & Son.
Mr. Hinkle has a place of rare beauty. The elaborate stone ornamenta- tion, which is in striking contrast with many of the more expensive resi- dences of the city, gives it an air of unusual cheerfulness. In addition to the splendid edifice, the location affords one of the finest prospects on Mount Auburn.
RESIDENCE OF JASON EVANS.
Among the excellent private residences of this locality is that of Jason Evans, on the north side of Auburn avenue. Though it is his former res- idence remodeled, still it has been so changed and improved that it presents the appearance of a new building, and is a place that any observer would mark as the home of a substantial citizen. The building presents a main front of fifty-two feet, with wings of eighteen feet each, making a whole frontage of eighty-eight feet. It is constructed of brick with freestone quoins and trimmings. The structure is two stories, with observatory, an oriel window on the west, and verandas stretching on either side. The location affords a splendid view of the surrounding country, and the whole place is distinguished by an appearance of elegance and comfort.
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A valuable private enterprise, that will also prove a desirable public improvement, is the extensive work now being done by the Huntington brothers, at the head of Sycamore street. Having interests on the west side of Auburn street, as well as in the rear of the property contiguous to it, they are engaged in extending Saunders street westwardly, and con- structing a substantial stone wall, which will protect both the property and street for all time. This street, upon the very brow of the hill, with its foundations of solid rock, will overlook the city, and open up for residences a district hitherto almost inapproachable. In addition, they are cutting down this part of the hill very considerably, and improving the general appearance of the locality in no small degree. These gentlemen, no doubt, are expecting to get a pecuniary return for their heavy outlay; but it is proper to commend those who, while they consult their own interests, also make their expenditures contribute to the general good.
CHURCHES.
The Mount Auburn Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1851. The first quarterly conference was held on the 12th day of December, in that year, and consisted of the Rev. John F. Wright, presiding elder, the Rev. Charles H. Lawton, and Messrs. Richard Ashcraft, Moses Brooks, and Joshua Vandewater. Among the early members were Job Stevens, George Mccullough, John Mears, Samuel Williams, and H. Strobridge. One of the prime movers was Thomas Jennings, who was also superintendent of the first Sabbath-school organized in this locality. In 1852 they erected, on the south-west corner of Auburn and the present McMillan street, a brick church, forty-five by seventy feet. The house has frescoed walls; is carpeted and well finished. In the basement are good Bible and infant- class rooms, and still below them the sexton's apartments. The Sabbath- school, in charge of James S. Burdsal, has an average attendance of about one hundred and thirty-five scholars and twelve teachers, and is held at nine o'clock in the morning. The membership of the church is not large,
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but has been considerably increased during the last year under the labors of the Rev. John W. Peters, the present pastor.
The Mount Auburn Baptist Church was organized in 1853. The cir- cumstances which led to the organization are peculiar and interesting. As three gentlemen-H. Thane Miller, R. A. Holden, and Isaac Russell- were returning from an afternoon Sabbath-school in the city, under a tree, just west of Judge Stallo's present residence, they saw five boys and two girls. They stopped in the shade and talked to them a short time, gave them Sabbath-school papers, and secured a promise that they would return on the following Sabbath. The next Sabbath there were present seven boys and three girls. With this little company they talked, sang, and prayed, and made an appointment to again meet them on the next Sabbath. The third day there was a still larger number. Encouraged by these exhibitions of Divine favor, they continued the meetings until the number in attend- ance reached from two to three hundred. These, however, were not all children, as men and women also attended as the exercises increased in interest. When cold weather came on it was proposed to discontinue the meetings, to which the scholars objected. They then went to the basement of Mr. Miller's house, now Judge Stallo's, where the meetings were con- tinued during the cold season. From these exercises grew the present Bap- tist organization. The same persons who had engaged in the school became the prime movers in the new church. Dr. Crawley, then President of the Mount Auburn Young Ladies Institute, consented to preach to the congre- gation, which met regularly in Mr. Miller's house. In 1861 they erected the present church edifice, situated on the west side of Auburn, north of Mason street. It is a frame structure forty by sixty feet, with capacity to seat three hundred persons. The room is open to the rafters, has neat pews covered with crimson damask, is neatly carpeted, and contains a good pipe organ. They also have a roomy basement, with a comfortable chapel. There are at present over one hundred communicants. The pastor of the church is the Rev. Charles E. Smith, who came to the congregation from Rhode Island, in June, 1868. The Sabbath-school, under the superintendence of
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William B. French, now numbers two hundred and thirty-nine scholars, and meets at three o'clock in the afternoon.
The Presbyterian Church of Mount Auburn, though now quite prosper- ous and strong, is of recent organization. For several years the desirableness of a church had been pressing itself upon the members of the several branches of the Presbyterian persuasion residing in this locality. Early in March, 1867, a Wednesday evening meeting was commenced in the chapel of the Cincinnati Orphan Asylum, which was courteously offered for the purpose. In the same year it was determined to erect a house of worship, and subscriptions were secured to carry out this design. A lot, two hundred and twenty-six feet front, was purchased on the south side of Auburn street, for five thousand six hundred and sixty-nine dollars and fifty cents, and a plan designed for the new edifice, by J. W. Mclaughlin, was adopted. The work was soon begun, and on the 3d day of January, 1869, the house was formally dedicated, having cost, with lot included, about thirty-two thousand dollars.
The edifice is frame, eighty feet in length, with a width ranging from forty-five to sixty-two feet. In the north-west corner a symmetrical tower rises one hundred and twenty-eight feet from the pavement. Through this, as well as through the porch on the north-east corner, the edifice is entered.
The main floor is six feet above the pavement, one-half of the altitude being made by steps outside, and the remainder after enter entering the vestibule. Between the tower and porch the area is left in open communi- cation with the main room, and is used as a reserve space, to be filled with chairs on extraordinary occasions. The main audience room is twenty- eight feet to the ceiling, and has three double circular-topped windows on either side. The pews are poplar, with black walnut tops and arms, and upholstered with crimson reps. The room is wainscotted with oak to the window-sills. The pulpit consists of a neat walnut desk, located in a roomy alcove, with handsome furniture to correspond. Five hundred persons can be comfortably accommodated. While the main edifice is approached imme- diately by ascending staircases, the lecture room is reached by descending
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stairways from the same landing. The latter room is fourteen feet in hight, and will accommodate two hundred persons. The infant school room, fifteen by twenty-eight feet, is separated from this by large doors, into the construction of which glass largely enters. On this floor is a ladies' room, fifteen by twenty-two feet ; a pastor's study, fifteen by eighteen feet ; and a library, seven by eight feet. Below this is another floor, rendered possible by the configuration of the ground, in which the furnaces are placed. Here, also, is the janitor's room, and a kitchen to be used by the ladies of the church on occasions requiring it. In the front gable is a circular window, fifteen feet in diameter, and, immediately below it, narrow quadruple win- dows, placed side by side, making a fine appearance from the street. The main audience room is lighted by five chandeliers, the fifth occupying the center of the building.
Though there were representatives of the various Presbyterian bodies enlisted in the enterprise, when it came to the organization of the church, the utmost harmony prevailed, and, waiving all predilictions for particular schools, they cheerfully and voluntarily agreed to organize as an Old School Presbyterian Church. Accordingly, on the 13th day of October, 1868, before the edifice was completed, the church was organized at a meeting of the Presbytery of Cincinnati, held in the Orphan Asylum chapel, and O. N. Bush, F. C. Rowland, W. M. Richardson, Hugh Stewart, and Geo. W. McAlpin, were ordained elders. The Rev. A. A. E. Taylor was called to the pastorate, from Georgetown, District of Columbia, and on the 6th day of June, 1869, preached his inaugural sermon. At the time of the organ- ization the church numbered sixty-nine members. It has since largely increased, so that the communicants now number one hundred and seventy two. The Sabbath-school, which was organized January 17, 1869, with one hundred and twenty scholars, now averages over three hundred. It is under the superintendence of O. N. Bush and L. R. Hull.
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CINCINNATI ORPHAN ASYLUM.
Forty years ago there existed in Cincinnati a female Bible society, which was a fit soil to germinate an institution of such noble purposes as the Cin- cinnati Orphan Asylum. About the year 1830 or 1831 there was placed in the hands of the society a sum of money for the relief of the poor. In visiting the needy, to make proper application of this fund, the number of orphan and destitute children with whom they were brought in contact sug- gested the necessity of a home for this unfortunate class. A meeting of the ladies was called, at which a resolution was adopted authorizing the appropriation of eight dollars that remained of the fund alluded to, for the relief of these orphans. This was the beginning of the Cincinnati Orphan Asylum. A house and lot were donated, and a charter procured from the legislature in 1833. The cholera occurring about this time, brought with it increased destitution and corresponding demands upon the society. This soon rendered the room inadequate, and induced them to remove to larger accommodations on Elm street. After remaining there thirty years, they disposed of the property for one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and erected, in 1861, the present building on Mount Auburn. The lot is large, and the building, a capacious three-story brick edifice, with basement and towers, is so located as to secure a superb view of the western parts of the city, the Ohio river, and the distant highlands.
On the first floor are a well-furnished chapel, school rooms, parlor, office, and the apartments for the managers and matron. In the basement are dining rooms, kitchen, laundry, and the boys' bath-room. On the second floor are sleeping apartments and bath room for girls. The third story is devoted to sleeping rooms. The halls are wide and airy, and the rooms generally have high ceilings, good ventilation, whitewashed walls, and are in every respect admirably adapted to and arranged for the purpose for which they are used. Each child has its number, which is impressed upon its clothing; and in the bath rooms there is a pin for each, upon which the
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towel is hung, and immediately above a case containing a comb. The large sleeping rooms are well ventilated, and each contains beds for from fifteen to twenty-five children. The larger number of the children have single beds. Those of sufficient age attend the public schools. On the Sab- bath they attend service at one of the churches, and in the afternoon, at three o'clock, service is regularly held in the asylum, at which they have prayer, singing, reading of the Scriptures, and remarks by some one secured for the occasion. In these exercises the music is led by four of the girls, who have sufficient musical instruction to lead the congregation. A Sab- bath-school is held in the morning, the teachers of which are persons living in Mount Auburn. They have family worship morning and evening, and at the table each child, with clasped hands, is expected to unite audibly in invoking a blessing on the food. The children rise at five, and retire at from eight to nine o'clock, according to their age. The number of children ranges from ninety to ninety-five. The present matron is Miss N. B. Fris- toe, who acts under the direction of a board of managers consisting of twelve ladies. The cost of conducting the institution annually is from fourteen thousand to sixteen thousand dollars. Of this, the endowment fund, consisting of one hundred thousand dollars arising from the sale of their city property, besides several thousand dollars that have come from other sources, yields an annual revenue of nearly eight thousand dollars. This leaves about the same amount to be contributed by the benevolent people of Cincinnati and its surroundings. The Lord's blessing can not fail to rest on such an institution, nor can men conscientiously close their purses to those who gather up the neglected fatherless and motherless chil- dren, ranging from early infancy to twelve years of age, surround them with all the comforts of home, and finally secure places for them in good Christian families, where they may grow up ornaments to society and blessings to their race.
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