{"nrhp_refnum":"69000144","name":"Pitman, Ben, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1852 Columbia Pkwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cincinnati","county":"Hamilton County","state":"OH","lat":39.12088727050005,"lon":-84.48126703803445,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1969-07-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Victorian frame and stone house at 1852 Columbia Parkway in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, built as the home of woodcarving instructor Benn Pitman, with carving done between 1885 and 1905.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its elaborate hand-carved woodwork and ornament, which reflect the skill and imagination of its original owner, Benn Pitman. Pitman taught woodcarving at the Art Academy of Cincinnati from 1873 to 1892, and the interior is described as a work of art. The listing was also urgent because planned Columbia Parkway highway work threatened access to the site.","narrative":"Perched on Columbia Parkway in Cincinnati, this Victorian house of frame and stone was the home of Benn Pitman, who taught woodcarving at the Art Academy of Cincinnati from 1873 to 1892. The exterior is described as a rococo patchwork of carved stone and wood, but the interior is even more ornate. Pitman made only one of the great mantels himself. The doors, panels, wainscoting and exposed ceiling beams were carved by hand over many years by several hundred academy students under his supervision. Pitman's wife and her twin sister, Elizabeth Nourse, who also taught at the art school, contributed carvings of local flowers, leaves and birds. Stained-glass windows, beaten silver inlays and a front door on silver hinges in a Romanesque entranceway add to the decoration. The house was entered on the register in 1969 for its art and architecture, with urgency because planned highway work threatened access to it.","period_of_significance":"1885-1905 (carving of woodwork, gables, etc.); 19th century checked","architect_builder":"Benn Pitman (original owner who supervised the carving); woodcarving by students of the Art Academy of Cincinnati, his wife and her sister Elizabeth Nourse","architectural_style":"Victorian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied, a private residence, in good condition; the form notes Columbia Parkway was due to become a limited-access highway that could leave the site inaccessible.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.743521-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/69000144.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000144/b3c5a2a983-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000144/b3c5a2a983-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ben_Pitman_House_driveway.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ben_Pitman_House_driveway.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989187","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Pitman_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4886296"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/hamilton-county/pitman-ben-house-69000144/"}