Clifton Avenue Historic District
Also known as: See Also: Samuel Hannaford and Sons TR in Hamilton County
Why it's listed
Clifton Avenue Historic District in Cincinnati covers a stretch of large houses and civic landmarks along Clifton Avenue, with adjoining parts of Greendale Avenue and Lafayette Circle. Once rural farmland, the area became a suburb of substantial residences, and it keeps a park-like feel through spacious lawns, mature trees and gas and electric boulevard lamps that the city retained at residents' request. Major landmarks include Clifton School, built on the site of the Resor Academy; the 1887 Probasco Fountain; the Balsh estate carriage house; Calvary Episcopal Church, dated 1867, with its Gothic Revival stone buildings; and the 1915 Abbe Meteorological Observatory. The houses range from an early farmhouse to Italian Villa, Gothic Revival, Georgian Revival and Neo-Colonial examples, many sharing classical details that visually link the district. The Resor House and the Joseph Rawson House were already individually listed.
Significance in brief: The district shows how a rural farm area became a suburb of large, substantial residences. The text describes it as visually unified by lawns, trees, retained gas and boulevard lamps, and recurring classical and revival details. The Statement of Significance section is not present in the supplied text, so the reasons rest mainly on the Section 7 description.
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 78002074, listed December 8, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Irregular pattern along Clifton Ave., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | December 8, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002074 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Mixed 19th and early 20th century styles: Georgian Revival, Neo-Colonial, Italian Villa, Gothic Revival, Federal and classical |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked excellent; the Probasco Fountain is described as being restored by the community. |
| Acreage | 40 |
| Coordinates | 39.15510, -84.51693 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 78002074.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5133175
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.