Edgecliff Area Historic Group
Also known as: See Also: Samuel Hannaford and Sons TR in Hamilton County
Why it's listed
Overlooking the Ohio River on the southeast side of the former Edgecliff College campus in Cincinnati, this group of stone mansions and outbuildings was built between about 1870 and 1890. Emery Hall, completed in 1881 to designs by Samuel Hannaford, was the home of Thomas and Mary Emery, whose wealth and philanthropy shaped Cincinnati and led Mary Emery to plan the town of Mariemont. Maxwelton was the residence of Lawrence Maxwell, a U.S. Solicitor General and long-time May Festival president, and contains a music room with a water-powered organ. The Ferris House, a carriage house, two greenhouses and the nearby Thomas P. Egan House complete the group. All are built of rockfaced Bedford stone with varied decorative detail, and the interiors of the main houses remain largely unaltered. The Sisters of Mercy began using the Emery and Maxwell estates for the college in 1935.
Significance in brief: The buildings are presented as excellent examples of rockfaced stone Victorian architecture, dating from about 1870 to 1890 and unified by their material, scale and treatment. Emery Hall was designed by noted Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford. The original residents were prominent figures in philanthropy, law, music and industry, including Thomas and Mary Emery, Lawrence Maxwell, Judge Howard Ferris and Thomas P. Egan.
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 77001063, listed November 11, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2220 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | November 11, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77001063 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Samuel Hannaford (Emery Hall) |
| Architectural style | Victorian, rockfaced Bedford stone construction with some Gothic Revival influence |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Buildings are described as basically unaltered; the Edgecliff College campus uses them as an art gallery and art department (Emery Hall) and the music department (Maxwelton). The Egan House is privately owned. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 39.12123, -84.48383 (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 77001063.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5337741
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.