{"nrhp_refnum":"96000219","name":"Gruen Watch Company-Time Hill","other_names":["D. Gruen and Sons"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"401 E. McMillan St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cincinnati","county":"Hamilton County","state":"OH","lat":39.125853636000045,"lon":-84.50173802799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-02-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2 1/2 story Tudor Revival industrial building at 401 East McMillan Street in the Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, built in 1916 for the Gruen Watch Company and designed by Burroughs & Deeken.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under Criterion A for the company's role in Cincinnati's early 20th century industrial history and its achievements in watch merchandising and advertising. It is significant under Criterion B for its link to Frederick Gruen, who helped build the firm into a national leader. Under Criterion C, the half-timbered factory reflects Arts and Crafts Movement ideas about the worker and the workplace.","narrative":"Built in 1916 on a landscaped rise called Time Hill, this Tudor Revival building in Cincinnati's Walnut Hills neighborhood combined offices and a watch factory for the Gruen Watch Company. Architects Guy Burroughs and John Henri Deeken modeled it on the guild halls of Brussels. It has a steep green glazed tile roof, red brick at the ground floor, and stucco with decorative half-timbering above. Towers, dormers and a Rookwood tile nameplate decorate the exterior. Large factory windows provided light and ventilation for the watchmakers. The building was listed for its role in Cincinnati's industrial history, its association with Frederick Gruen, who led the company's growth, and its Arts and Crafts design. The period of significance runs from 1916 to 1945, the year of Gruen's death. A brick addition in 1953 and a 1990 office remodeling altered the east side and interior, though the third-story roof framing survives. The building now serves an educational institution.","period_of_significance":"1916-1945","architect_builder":"Burroughs, Guy Channing; Burroughs & Deeken","architectural_style":"Tudor Revival","criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Historic function was manufacturing; current function is education (college). The interior was remodeled for offices in 1990 and a one-story addition was built in 1953.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:06.947276-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/96000219.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000219/d97efbe3d4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000219/d97efbe3d4-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":null,"credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GruenWatch.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown author</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GruenWatch.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989107","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Hill","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5611955"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/hamilton-county/gruen-watch-company-time-hill-96000219/"}