By Mary Casey-Sturk, Hyde Park Contributor
Founded in 1964, as the Miami Purchase Association (MPA), today the Cincinnati Preservation Association’s mission is “To promote the appreciation, protection and appropriate use and development of the Cincinnati region’s historic buildings, communities and landscapes.” Their website shares these reasons why preservation matters:
Culture: Preservation adds character, charm and uniqueness to our community.
Environment: Preservation conserves resources, reduces landfill waste, saves money and is the most sustainable path.
Investment: Preservation brings heritage tourism, local job creation and tax credits.
Housing Stability & Affordable Housing: People are attracted to historic districts for living, working and playing.
Storytelling: Historic spaces tell everyone’s story, and our collective past is worth remembering.
The Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) has had a number of milestones since its inception, including raising $40,000 its first year (that’s nearly $400,000 in today’s money). It initially restored the John Hauck House on Dayton Street in 1968. In 1971 the National Trust held its first ever Advisory Council meeting at the Hauck House, and in 2011, Pinecroft, the estate of Powel Crosley, Jr., was donated to the CPA by Mercy Health.
This is just the tip of the “preservation iceberg”. The CPA and the MPA before it, with input from local community organizations, community councils, neighborhood associations, local historic societies, museums and community development corporations, have led the charge to preserve many important historic sites. Beyond this, it assists with creating preservation easements for other sites, manages a fund for endangered buildings and advocates for the preservation of the buildings that are important to the community, from well-known structures like Music Hall, to the individual neighborhoods that are each unique in their makeup and history.
The CPA also owns these historic sites: the John Hauck House on Dayton Street, Pinecroft (the Estate of Powel Crosley), the Walnut Hills Tower and the Eckstein School in Glendale. Funding sources include memberships and donations.
John Hauck House
While the historic John Hauck House, where the CPA is located is not open to the public, they will soon have a library open by appointment to examine books in its collection. John Hauck was a wealthy beer baron and his portrait and other artworks can be seen within his lovely former home. The house itself is an elegant townhouse with a stone façade located on Dayton Street’s “Millionaire’s Row.” Built circa 1870 for coal dealer John Skaats, it was purchased in the 1880s by Hauck whose brewery was a block away. It has exquisite murals, wood trim, floors and more, and ornate plasterwork. In the dining room, the mural on the ceiling has been preserved in a manner to demonstrate what it looked like before and after restoration efforts.
It was once open as a historic home for tours, but now provides space for offices and programs. The house is also used for membership and other events.
Why Preservation Matters
Hyde Park Living Magazine spoke with Beth Johnson, the executive director, about why preservation matters.
HPL: What types of programs do you have?
“We host a summer/fall series called Preservation in the Park in partnership conjunction with 3CDC. This is a six-month series held on the porch in Washington Park. It provides different stories of preservation throughout the region and is free,” Johnson said. “We also have other events including membership-only events (like open houses) and the Fall Forum (ticketed) event which is open to the public.”
HPL: What drives people to become members?
“People’s love for history and wanting to support our history through the built environment is a driver. It’s connecting people with speakers about specific projects or connecting like-minded people who enjoy the history of Cincinnati,” Johnson shared.
HPL: Do you have any current projects?
“Yes,” Johnson continued, “there is ongoing preservation work as we are actually converting our own carriage house, which will be used as conference room space for ourselves and others.
“We are also just about to put in a landmark designation request for First Baptist Church in Walnut Hills. It’s a traditional African American church. We’ve been working with the church, the Walnut Hills Historical Society and the Assembly to get this application to happen. Hopefully, it will be listed as a landmark by January.”
She added, “Cincinnati Sites and Stories is a website to share and preserve stories for those who don’t typically have their stories told. The focus is on underrepresented communities. We want to make sure everyone’s story is able to be told.”
The CPA does a lot of advocacy on what preservation is and how it can look in a specific community. For those interested in having Historic Designations, when working with the city, it can be determined whether neighborhoods or individual homeowners can apply for a Certificate of Appropriateness or a historic easement. When approaching the city, they will consider the character of an area, the architectural heritage and more.
One example of this is Hyde Park Square.
Johnson offered, “Preservation is important for a variety of reasons: to save our buildings, culture, and history. Sustainability is a big reason as well, the “greenest” building is the one already built. A brand-new building, even a net zero one, will take years to balance out the sustainability and when you rehab a building, more money stays local, and less debris goes into a landfill.”
For more information about the CPA, visit cincinnatipreservation.org.
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