Couple of photos of the status of our House Restoration in the Knox Hill area of Fairmount. The home was built in 1871 and is in the Second Empire Cottage style, common in Cincinnati, but rarely restored. You usually see these covered with vinyl siding.  This home was built by wealthy downtown business man who wanted a weekend getaway form the grime of the city in 1871. The Knox Hill area has everything from small cottages to some grand mansions.

 

We are using a total of 9 colors in the Historic preservation palette. We are removing the 40's era siding and residing with Hardi siding and restoring the original siding where possible,

 

The new porch has hand stencilled panels. I hope next weekend to finish trimming out the bumpout and installing the stained glass Transom window that will go over the new picture window

 

We once had formal gardens on the double lot and I hope to restore those as well. The last photo is what we started with

Last Fall when we bought the house.

great work!

Very Cool!  Fairmount has MANY a hidden treasures.  Keep us updated on your progress.

Are you the guy from City-Data? This is great! PLEASE keep us updated on this.

 

 

Yes Im on city data too, You cant believe how many people "warned" us about the neighborhood, however I have to say we have great neighbors and many new people have moved into the area. Sure we have some "issues" to address in the area but there is some nice architecture that needs some TLC.

 

We actualy started a neighborhood group called Knox Hill Neighborhood Association to "rebrand " our area. There are some really nice pocket neighborhoods and people just have totally negative view when you say Fairmount. Mostly people who have never gotten past Harrison Ave.

I'll say it again, we need to save (build) more of the Second Empire. It has a lot of personality and that looks like some fantastic work.

I agree dmerkow. The Second Empire style is one of the most highly desired forms of Victorian Era Architecture . I do consulting work all accross the country and Second Empires are rare in most areas. Although Cincinnati is nationally known in the Preservation  Community for its Italianate Architecure, ( OTR & Dayton Street) few know just how much Second Empire there is in Cincinnati. It is even rarer, is the "cottage form" that is so prevelant in Cincinanati. Normally this style was reserved for 'mansions'. In most parts of the country these would be merticulously restored and be "high end" houses, yet here they are mostly cheap rentals.There are several in our area and when you consider that despite their diminutive size when viewed from the front they are actually reasonably sized 1600-2000 square feet. Some pics I took of one the next street over that has has a later Victorian porch added to it and HAS the  Corbels. My plan is to duplicate this Corbel design on our houses. This home has a double upper window. Like mine the window surround is tin. That is very rare in other parts of the country as elaborate tin work was generally reserved for only for commercial structures.

You cant believe how many people "warned" us about the neighborhood, however I have to say we have great neighbors and many new people have moved into the area.

 

You are now the fourth person I've heard say such a thing!    That's great to hear.   

 

Unfortunately, I have noticed more demolitions on Queen City Ave and Westwood Ave within the past year than ever.  Hopefully that stops.

Unfortunately, Second Empire became a very dated looking design by the 1920s and was often torn down in the name of progress. If you look at postcards and the like, the first real serious monumental buildings in many Midwestern (and East Coast) cities were Second Empire, but they usually lasted less than fifty years and were replaced by other often less interesting stuff.

Nice reno!  We love reno pictures!!!!!  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

 

 

More please!

Over the weekend we were able to get the trim work done on the square bay bumpout we built. Still have some trim work to do and we are adding a window box as well. It was nice to get the upper window in, actually its the storm window, we are adding a stained glass window behind it soon.

 

We based the overall design of the bumpout on similar Second Empires we have seen around town, my goal when finished is that it will look like it has always been there and was built this way.

 

Of course the porch columns and roof over them are next on my to do list!

This is simply fantastic!!

Yeah, this is great work!!  Definitely keep us posted.  I love seeing renovations/restorations like this.

Very nice!!!!

Great color scheme...ignore those city fearing folks over at City-Data.

Thanks. All the colors are from the National Historic Trust pallette. It has been my experience that one needs to go a shade brighter that normal in an urban enviroment because over time it will darken and fade somewhat.

 

As for "city data" there should be city data and "suburbia data" in my opinion as they are two distinct animals.  However if Cincinnati follows what I saw in Indianapolis between 98-2008, all the suburbanites will be kicking themselves that they didnt move downtown back when it was affordable. Also when they are faced with 1 1/2-2 hr daily commutes, higher gas prices and Urban sprawl and crime, downtown and urban neighborhoods will seem like a 'smart idea" compared to the congestion of suburbia.

I'm going to stop by and see you.  I cannot believe this is happening on that street!

I am always 'working away' on the weekends on this house, I am hoping with the Harrison avenue improvements planned and the impending destruction by the city of the Irish Cliffs apartments at Harrison and Fairmount, that the neighborhood will have good summer, a few of my neighbors who have been working inside are now ready to start outside work and I think once we have a few more "painted ladies' on the street, maybe people will begin to notice, and consider, the neighborhood again. There is a lot of architectural diversity in the area from carpenter cottages and early craftsman bungalows to several large mansions over at fairmount and luckey street.

Seems to be some people out there are unfamiliar with the neighborhood so I thought I'd post some pictures of some of the houses in the area. There is a broad range of architectural styles. I will try to take some more of the area this weekend when we are down there working.

with some investment, that's a stable block.

 

It's screams, "families  - you're home".

I bagan the porch construction this weekend. I elected to do a Italianate style square post with raised panels on the lower end. started witha 4x4 post and chanferred the ouside corners. I used a simple arched brackets in the corner.  Took measuremnts once installed and purchased trim to make the "caps' as well as some decorative trim out higher up on the posts. Easier to precut the small trim at home and install later on site.

 

Still have to do the roof and decide on the balausters but made some good progress.