Stites House
Why it's listed
Built in 1835 by Hezekiah Stites, Jr., this brick house at 315 Stites Avenue in the Columbia-Tusculum area of Cincinnati began as a symmetrical Federal-style residence with a small Greek Revival entrance portico. Stites was a prominent pork packer in Columbia. Federal details include end chimneys, attic windows in the gable ends, plain lintels and lugsills, smaller second-story bays and a plain entablature. His son Charles F. Stites, born in 1831, inherited the homestead and in 1867 added a large two-story brick wing at the rear. That wing keeps the plain Federal vernacular character but has a Victorian two-story porch. Charles Stites appears as the owner on the 1869 and 1884 county atlases. The house sits on a spacious lot and faces Eastern Avenue rather than Stites Street, unlike most neighboring buildings. It is recognized for its architecture and its link to a family important in the early development of Columbia.
Significance in brief: The house combines Federal and Greek Revival features and is tied to the Stites family, early settlers of Columbia. Hezekiah Stites, Jr., a prominent pork packer, built it, and his son Charles F. Stites inherited the homestead and added the wing. It is part of a multiple resource area for Columbia-Tusculum.
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 79002699, listed August 24, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 315 Stites Ave., Cincinnati |
|---|---|
| County | Hamilton County |
| Listed | August 24, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002699 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Built by Hezekiah Stites, Jr. (1835); wing added by Charles F. Stites (1867) |
| Architectural style | Federal-Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a residence in good condition (exterior), in use as a residence at the time of the inventory. |
| Coordinates | 39.11142, -84.43460 (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 79002699.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7617658
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.