Madison and Woodburn Historic District
Why it's listed
Nineteen buildings around the meeting of Woodburn Avenue and Madison Road in Cincinnati form a compact neighborhood business district once known as Woodburn. Most were built between about 1875 and 1910, as farms, orchards and estates gave way to suburban growth and better transport to the city centre. The streetscape combines three- and four-story Italianate storefront buildings, Queen Anne apartment blocks such as the Lutmer Flats and Krug Buildings, Classical Revival flats, a Spanish Colonial Revival auto showroom and a 1928 Art Deco bank. St. Francis de Sales Church, a Gothic Revival landmark designed by Francis G. Himper, dominates the intersection, while the seven-story San Marco Building, designed by John Boll, anchors the other corner. Varied brick, sandstone, limestone and cast-iron details create a consistent scale and visual continuity. The district was listed as a distinctive example of mixed commercial and residential architecture, and local groups have been rehabilitating its buildings.
Significance in brief: The district is significant as a cohesive grouping of late nineteenth and early twentieth century urban architecture, including Italianate, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Classical Revival and Art Deco buildings. Its mix of high-density residential, commercial and church buildings shows Cincinnati's suburban expansion. It is described as the most cohesive commercial/residential streetscape on the city's east side.
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 83001983, listed June 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Woodburn Ave. and Madison Rd., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | June 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001983 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1875-1928 |
| Architect / builder | Francis G. Himper (St. Francis de Sales Church); John Boll (San Marco Building) |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Art Deco |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good and altered. The San Marco Building was recently rehabilitated as housing after standing idle and deteriorated for years; rehabilitation of other buildings is under way. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Coordinates | 39.12919, -84.47668 (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 83001983.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6728224
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.