Balch House
Also known as: Meyer House
Why it's listed
This 2½-story brick house at 267 Greendale Avenue in Cincinnati's Clifton area was built in 1895-1896 to designs by Samuel Hannaford & Sons for George Balch. Balch had lived in Clifton since 1892 and worked as a clerk in the president's office of the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad, becoming a purchasing agent in 1898. The L-shaped, asymmetrical house shows Queen Anne influences. A large front gable with timber and stucco treatment and small multi-paned windows dominates the facade, while an entrance porch with two arched bays on short brick pedestals is its most decorative feature. Windows are mostly one-over-one with heavy ashlar lintels, and a projecting west pavilion is carried on scrolled wooden brackets. The roof gables are slate and the foundation is rock-faced ashlar. The house sits among large turn-of-the-century buildings near the proposed Clifton Avenue Historic District. It was listed as part of a group of works by Hannaford and his firm.
Significance in brief: It was included as one of the works of Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford and Sons in a thematic group of Hannaford buildings. It is an example of the firm's residential work with Queen Anne influences. The form also records its history as the home of George Balch, a railroad clerk later promoted to purchasing agent.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80003036, listed March 3, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 267 Greendale Ave., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | March 3, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003036 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1895-1896 |
| Architect / builder | Samuel Hannaford & Sons (architect); builder unknown |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne influences |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a residence; interior and exterior condition recorded as good, with restoration and repair work reported as under way. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Clifton Avenue Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.15124, -84.51762 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80003036.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4850240
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.