Betts-Longworth Historic District

Betts-Longworth is a five-block by two-block neighborhood of 135 buildings in Cincinnati's West End, within the Queensgate II Redevelopment District. Most are brick, built mainly between the 1840s and 1900, and the styles include Federal Vernacular, Greek Revival, Italianate and Queen Anne. Notable pieces include seven Italianate apartment houses built in 1867-69 along Ezzard Charles Drive, cast iron storefronts along Central Avenue, and the Betts farmhouse at 416 Clark Street, dated circa 1804. A small United Jewish Cemetery, with interments from 1821 to 1849, sits near Chestnut Street. The area developed from three subdivisions, the Betts, Blachley and Longworth lots. Betts lots cost more and drew managers and owners, including soap maker James Gamble, while the other two subdivisions housed mostly working residents. The district retains its nineteenth-century character with no significant intrusions, although many buildings are deteriorated and several lots are vacant after demolitions.