Gamble House

The Gamble House.

The Gamble House, located in the Cincinnati, Ohio neighborhood of Westwood, is located at 2918 Werk Road. The imposing 2 1/2-story residence, constructed in the Queen Anne style, was constructed by James N. Gamble on the site of his father’s earlier dwelling.

History

The Gamble House, located in the Cincinnati, Ohio neighborhood of Westwood, is located at 2918 Werk Road. The imposing 2 1/2-story, 13-room residence, constructed in the Queen Anne style, was built by James Norris Gamble on the site of his father’s earlier dwelling in 1875.(1)(3)(5) The house was assembled at a time when country estates scattered the region’s west side, and the original lot measured out to 60 acres.(1)

The dwelling was named Ratonagh after the Gamble clan’s ancestral hometown in Northern Ireland.(3)

The inventor, humanitarian and son of Proctor & Gamble’s co-founder resided in the vast 2,644-square-foot house for 57 years until his death in the house in 1932.(3)(5)(10) His daughter, Olivia, lived in the house until she died in the 1960s. The house then transferred to the Nippert’s.(4)

Today

By 2010, the size of the Gamble estate had been reduced down to 15 acres,(2) having been subdivided for smaller housing tracts.

In early February, neighborhood activists and historic preservationists came together to save the Gamble House from destruction after its owner, the Greenacres Foundation of Indian Hill, informed the city that it was importuning bids for demolition.(2) The non-profit organization, which promoted “conservation and music appreciation” through its center in the eastern suburb of Indian Hill, was founded by philanthropist Louise Nippert. The foundation stated that it would use the property to begin an outdoor education program “for underprivileged children.”

Nippert’s late husband, Louis Nippert, was Gamble’s grandson.(3)(4)

Activists requested that the city declare the house a local historic landmark.(2) But the city cited Greenacres for “having peeling paint and a broken sidewalk.”(3) According to the citation, the roof appeared “unsound,” and parts of the intricate wooden trim were broken. Liz Kissel, president of the Westwood Historical Society, noted a leaking roof in a 2008 visit, but that it was “a home that could be saved.”

Carter Randolph, Greenacre’s vice president, affirmed to reporters on February 11 that “demolition is getting closer as the house continues to deteriorate.” While he suggested that demolition wasn’t imminent, Randolph added that they were no closer to demolition than they were three months ago.(3) He cited costs of maintaining and repairing the property, but did not disclose any figures.

But according to city records, Greenacres had solicited bids to demolish the building. The record was dated February 3.(3)

“To lose this house would be a sin. The Gamble house is not only woven into the fabric of Westwood. It’s in the fabric of the entire city because of the many things James Gamble did. This is too historic of a home to lose.”

-Bob Prokop of Westwood Concern, a grassroots neighborhood advocacy group(3)

Randolph stated that the house was on private property, and that he wasn’t sure “why people (were) so interested in what happens to it.”(3) He added that if people were so concerned, they should “write a check,” alluding that the foundation was short of money. But Nippert recently donated $85 million to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and $100 million to the Greenacres Foundation. She ranked fifth on the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of top ten charitable contributors for 2009.

In addition, the foundation has donated at least $3 million since 2005 to restore the Julius Fleischmann estate in Indian Hill.(3) Fleischmann was a yeast manufacturer.

Some activists allude to the long-standing west-side, east-side rivalry, pointing out that the Fleischmann estate is on the east side, whereas the Gamble house is on the west side.(3) Others state that the yeast maker is not nearly as well known as Gamble.

But protesters affirmed that they were not directing the foundation or Nippert to spend their own money, restating that they “(were) not asking for any of their money. We could raise the money ourselves to preserve the building.”(3) The foundation stated that the house was not for sale, and that it could not be used for any commercial enterprise. It also did not want to see the house rehabilitated into a museum.

What infuriated some is that the Gamble Place, James Gamble’s winter retreat in Florida, is owned by the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences. The residence was donated to the museum by the Nature Conservancy, with thanks to the Nippert family who donated money for the effort.(3) In addition, the Gamble Place is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Plans are underway to list the mansion as a Historic Landmark with the city Historic Conservation Board.(3) If approved, demolition would be more time consuming and costly, but not impossible.

On February 22, two parts of a demolition application were approved.(4) The applicant, Algiers Construction, would have up to 120 days to demolish the house if the application is completely approved. If the demolition does occur, the land would be preserved as a nature center, according to the foundation.(3) Greenacres promised to give the Cincinnati park board an endowment to take care of the park, but the city never received any proposal or plan regarding the park.(7)

A large protest, attended by 105 preservationists, was held on February 24 along Werk Road.(5) Singing songs and carrying signs, they protested the planned demolition of the Gamble residence. But that didn’t stop the Greenacres Foundation for filing a lawsuit against the city of Cincinnati just hours before. The organization sought expedited approval of the demolition permit, and stated that it aimed to prevent the city from giving the house a chance to be preserved.

One of the protests held in front of the Gamble House.

The lawsuit stated that the house was “not economically feasible to repair, restore, and maintain,” citing a proposed restoration cost at over $1 million.(5) At 2,644 square feet, the cost of the work would be around $400 per square foot, according to Randolph. But Edward Cunningham, manager for the Cincinnati Department of Community Development, stated that it would cost between $80 to $120 per square foot. Cunningham had consulted with several rehabilitation consultants.

“If the Gamble house goes, Louise Nippert’s legacy will be forever tainted west of I-75. West Siders have long memories. We will never forget how she was a champion of the arts with her millions, but gave nothing to save this historic house.”

-Reg Goolsby, who lives across the street from the Gamble estate(5)

Over the next few months, seven complaints were filed with Ohio’s Atorney General, questioning the foundation’s actions.(8)

The house was given a historic overlay district status on May 12 in a unanimous vote of 8-0.(10)(17)(18) The vote placed the house on the Historic Landmarks list, which makes demolition more difficult. A “Certificate of Appropriateness” would need to be filed, stating that no other alternative exists. The discussion lasted ten minutes, and was the cumulative end by efforts that began in February.(18)

Eight days later, Greenacres filed additional claims challenging the constitutionality of the status, and the case was moved to federal court after Assistant City Solicitor Richard Ganulin filed a notice of removal, citing the piling of claims by Greenacres.(17)

On June 21, the Zoning Board of Appeals stated that the city of Cincinnati was correct in refusing to issue a demolition permit to Greenacres for the Gamble House.(16) The ruling, which was unanimous, denied two appeals by Greenacres. Three hours of testimony followed, which included discussions from preservationist Greg Kissel, who validated that various organizations had been making attempts to restore the Gamble estate as early as 1978. Citing numerous local and state documents, Kissel showed that the residence had been on the radar as a historic structure, and was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places long before a demolition permit was applied. One of those attempts, made by the Miami Purchase Association in 1978, was partially guided by Louis Nippert — who oversees Greenacres today. Nippert, however, has never appeared at any hearing regarding the house.

On August 13, Greenacres rejected the Cincinnati Preservation Association’s long-standing offer to purchase and restore the Gamble House.(15) In a letter dropped to the Association anonymously, the letter stated that the proposal was “simply not realistic” and that any historic preservation would be useless. Interestingly enough, the letter made no mention of James Gamble.

In mid-September, neighborhood activist Mary Kuhl testified before council that neighbors had been present when workers were dismantling the house’s interior.(6) Bob Prokop noted leaded glass windows being removed, and that there were “plenty of witnesses.”(8) One witness was Larry Harris, Cincinnati’s urban conservator, who stated that contractors had been removing woodwork, windows and doors, and had begun digging trenches for utility cuts in preparation for demolition.(7)

Harris stated that he was working with the City Solicitor’s office and the Director of City Planning and Buildings to cite Greenacres for violations of the Zoning code and Housing code.(8)

In response, Greenacres stated that “non-structural items on the inside were secured in the barn” and that if windows and doors were “inadvertently removed,” they would be put back and maintained.(8)

On September 25, Councilman Charlie Winburn introduced a motion that requested a report on whether eminent domain would be possible in the case of the Gamble House.(6) The process would involve stopping the dismantling, taking the house by eminent domain, paying Greenacres fair market value, and giving the house to the park board to maintain.(8)

Winburn later decided that day to skip to motion after conferring with City Solicitor John Curp, and introduced an ordinance on Tuesday that ordered the residence be taken. Curp stated that historic preservation is a legitimate legal reason to take property by eminent domain, but warned that it would be a time-consuming and expensive process for both sides. By Wednesday, some council members were split on the idea, and the city solicitor suggested the process shouldn’t begin unless there is money set aside for the maintenance of the property. Councilwoman Leslie Ghiz supported the measure, but Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls and Councilman Chris Bortz did not.

Federal Judge Susan J. Dlott ordered Greenacres to stop dismantling the Gamble House on September 28, and to put parts of the house that were removed back together.(7) Dlott is hearing one of two cases concerning the estate. The order directed that “nothing else be removed from the house without prior approval of this Court.” In addition, all structural items that were removed from the house, including windows and doors, must be returned by October 1 and restored to the condition in which they were found prior to their removal. Non-structural items must either be restored to their original condition or maintained in good condition in the barn on site. Later, Dlott ordered Greenacres until December 17 to product an inventory of “all structural and non-structural items that have been removed” from the estate.(10)

On November 10, Winburn discovered that funding that was to go to a high-tech industrial center in Bond Hill, which never materialized, could be used for the Gamble House.(14) The funding, which was to come from the state of Ohio for the center, was frozen by Winburn, who is chairman of the Council’s Job Creation Committee. The money would not be derived from the deficit-riddled operating fund. Thirteen days later, Winburn presented to the city’s Livable Communities Committee a reduced purchase price of the Gamble House, at $300,000 instead of $750,000, because the amount of land that would be seized under the eminent domain proposal shrank from 15 acres to 2.28 acres.(13) The acreage encompassed the historic designation set by the city.

The Gamble House received additional good news December 6, when in an unanimous vote from the Cincinnati Historic Conservation Board, denied an application for a certificate of appropriateness to demolish the residence.(10)(11) The application was filed by Greenacres, whose lawyer noted that he did not know of “anyone who would have tried to be more diligent to preserve (the) house.”

In a split vote of the Cincinnati Livable Communities Committee on the following day, it appeared that the city might set aside $300,000 to purchase the Gamble House.(11) The split meant that Mayor Mark Mallory welded the power on whether or not the ordinance could be placed on the December 8 agenda, which was expected to receive five votes in support. It was, however, not placed on the agenda for the 8th, with Mallory not providing an explanation.(12)

Gallery

Links

1. Victorian Antiquities and Design, a local blog by Paul Wilham, has chronicled much of the debate regarding the Gamble House

Sources

1. Giglierano, Geoffrey J., Deborah A. Overmyer, and Frederic L. Propas. “Western Suburbs.” The Bicentennial Guide to Greater Cincinnati: A Portrait of Two Hundred Years. Cincinnati: Cincinnati Historical Society, 1998. 618. Print.
2. Monk, Dan. “Westwood activists work to save Gamble estate.” Business Courier of Cincinnati 12 Feb. 2010. 23 Feb. 2010 Article.
3. Radel, Cliff. “Debate rages over fate of Gamble mansion.” Cincinnati Enquirer 21 Feb. 2010. 23 Feb. 2010 Article.
4. Radel, Cliff. “Gamble house closer to demolition.” Cincinnati Enquirer 22 Feb. 2010. 23 Feb. 2010 Article.
5. Radel, Cliff. “Preservationists want Gamble house repaired, not razed.” Cincinnati Enquirer 24 Feb. 2010. 25 Feb. 2010 Article.
6. Prendergast, Jane. “City balks at seizing Gamble house.” Cincinnati Enquirer 27 Sept. 2010. 1 Oct. 2010 Article.
7. “Judge orders Gamble House owners to stop dismantling property.” Cincinnati Enquirer 28 Sept. 2010. 1 Oct. 2010 Article.
8. Radel, Cliff. “Winburn: City must take Gamble house.” Cincinnati Enquirer 24 Sept. 2010. 1 Oct. 2010 Article.
9. “Cincinnati Preservation Association’s offer to purchase, restore James N. Gamble House denied.” Release.
10. Radel, Cliff. “Conservation board denies permit to demolish Gamble house.” Cincinnati Enquirer 6 Dec. 2010. 6 Dec. 2010 Article.
11. Prendergast, Jane. “Council splits on seizing Gamble House.” Cincinnati Enquirer 7 Dec. 2010. 6 Dec. 2010 Article.
12. Prendergast, Jane. “Mayor delays Gamble house vote.” Cincinnati Enquirer 8 Dec. 2010. 6 Dec. 2010 Article.
13. Radel, Cliff. “Gamble House offer drops.” Cincinnati Enquirer 20 Nov. 2010. 6 Dec. 2010 Article.
14. Radel, Cliff. “Winburn ‘finds’ $750K for Gamble House.” Cincinnati Enquirer 10 Nov. 2010. 7 Dec. 2010 Article.
15. Radel, Cliff. “Gamble house restoration rejected.” Cincinnati Enquirer 13 Aug. 2010. 7 Dec. 2010 Article.
16. Radel, Cliff. “James Gamble house should stand, rules Cincinnati Zoning Board of Appeals.” Cincinnati Enquirer 21 June 2010. 7 Dec. 2010 Article.
17. Radel, Cliff. “Gamble house feud moves to federal court.” Cincinnati Enquirer 27 May 2010. 7 Dec. 2010 Article.
18. Radel, Cliff. “Gamble home given historic status.” Cincinnati Enquirer 12 May 2010. 7 Dec. 2010 Article.