Procter and Collier-Beau Brummell Building
Also known as: Gordon B. Miller & Co. Building
Why it's listed
Set on a landscaped rise above East McMillan Street in Cincinnati's Walnut Hills area, this 2½-story industrial building was completed in 1921 for the Procter and Collier Company, a printing and advertising firm. Elzner and Anderson designed it in an Early Tudor style, using fieldstone, stucco and half-timbering over a concrete frame. A brick water tower carries the slogan "Beau Brummel Ties the Best," and inside, a wood-paneled Advertisers Hall with a Rookwood mantel remains largely original. The company chose the hilltop site for light, ventilation and quiet away from downtown. In 1936 the building was sold to the maker of Beau Brummell neckwear, which used it for decades and made it a familiar local landmark. It is considered significant as a distinctive Tudor Revival work by the firm that led that style in Cincinnati, and as an example of corporate image-making in architecture. A new owner planned to rehabilitate it.
Significance in brief: The building is argued to be a distinctive example of Early Tudor Revival architecture in Cincinnati and a representative work of Elzner and Anderson, the city's leading Tudor-style architects. Its Elizabethan appearance and semi-suburban hilltop site also reflect "city beautiful" principles and the use of corporate symbolism in commercial architecture, notably through its water tower.
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 84002714, listed October 18, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 440 E. McMillan St., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | October 18, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002714 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1921 |
| Architect / builder | Elzner and Anderson, Cincinnati |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival (Early Tudor) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Marked as in work in progress; a new owner planned to rehabilitate it using the investment tax credit, and the covered skylights were to be restored. Condition listed as good and altered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.12690, -84.50031 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 84002714.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7247496
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.