Rawson House
Why it's listed
Italian Villa architecture defines this brick house at 3767 Clifton Avenue in Cincinnati. It has an irregular plan, round-arched first-floor windows with foliated cartouches, a bracketed cornice and a central tower with a concave slate mansard roof. Inside, an open-well stair with ornamental scroll brackets rises through three stories. The living room keeps gray-white marble fireplaces and carved plaster ceiling molding in a fruit and foliage pattern, and the heavy woodwork throughout is original pale oak. The house was first owned by Jacob Lloyd Wayne, whose family ran a Cincinnati hardware business. Around 1876 it became the home of Joseph Rawson and his wife Lucy Russell Rawson, who raised a large family there. Joseph Rawson worked in the family meatpacking firm and served as vice-president of the First National Bank of Cincinnati. The house hosted family weddings and celebrations. Its last resident, Gwendolyn Rawson, died in 1973. The property was recognized for its architecture and its connection to a prominent local family.
Significance in brief: The form describes the house as a classic example of the Italian Villa style, with well-preserved original interior features such as marble fireplaces, carved plaster ceiling molding and an open-string staircase. It is also tied to the Rawson family, Cincinnati meatpackers and bankers. Areas of significance checked are architecture, commerce and social/humanitarian.
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 73001465, listed July 24, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 3767 Clifton Ave., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | July 24, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001465 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Italian Villa |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in excellent condition, unaltered, on its original site, and used as a private residence. The last resident died in February 1973, and the house's future was uncertain pending a decision by the heirs. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Clifton Avenue Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.15236, -84.51943 (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 73001465.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7297060
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.