SAY NO TO DEMOLITION
OF THE HISTORIC JAMES N. GAMBLE HOUSE
 

We the undersigned do hereby respectfully petition the City of Cincinnati's Historic Conservation Board to reject the Greenacres Foundation's application for a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish the historic James N. Gamble house—an officially designated City of Cincinnati Historic Landmark, located at 2918 Werk Road in Westwood, Cincinnati, Ohio.

We strongly urge the Greenacres Foundation to reverse its decision to demolish the historic James N. Gamble House.

The agricultural and environmental work that the Foundation is doing in Indian Hill is noble, and we welcome the idea of bringing the Greenacres philosophy and educational opportunities to Westwood. We believe the restoration, preservation, and re-purposing of the house is synonymous with the Foundation's mission. The property is located in part of the city that has long been considered an urban area; this makes the building very much a part of the landscape. Human history is important for understanding sustainability; we find comfort and stability in the beauty and craftsmanship of a structure meant to withstand the test of time and modernity.

We wish to communicate to the City of Cincinnati's Urban Conservator and Historic Conservation Board our unconditional support for the preservation of this national treasure—a structure and property that are essential and irreplaceable links to our City's past and our nation's proud history.

The historic James N. Gamble home at 2918 Werk Road is not only a construct of Victorian architectural beauty; it helps define the community of Westwood with its structure; the rise and fall of its roofline; the careful attention paid to its placement and position, and the familiar comfort expressed by its proportioned facade. There is no questioning the historic significance of the main house—it is worthy of both Local and National Historic Landmark status.

This property was originally owned by James Goudy, the first known settler in Westwood. Richard Gaines, considered the “Father of Westwood”, lived in the home. The very first mayor of the village
of Westwood, John Gaines, lived in this house. Perhaps most importantly, this was the home of our beloved patriarch, James N. Gamble, the very last mayor of the village of Westwood prior to its annexation into the City of Cincinnati. Mr. Gamble lived in the home from 1871 until his death in 1932 at ninety-five years of age. Mr. Gamble was the son of James Gamble, co-founder of the Procter &  Gamble Company. 

James N. Gamble invented Ivory Soap in 1863. It was from this location at 2918 Werk Road that Mr. Gamble mounted his horse and raced downtown when he received word of the devastating fire at the original Procter & Gamble plant. It was this house that James N. Gamble called home while he oversaw the construction of Ivorydale, Procter & Gamble’s sprawling brick and limestone manufacturing facility in St. Bernard. It was from this spot that Mr. Gamble decided to give Thomas A. Edison one of his first jobs by tasking him with the creation of a communication device (a forerunner of the teletype machine) that would allow Procter & Gamble’s main offices to communicate with the Ivorydale facility, some two miles away. It was in front of this rambling two-story Victorian home that Westwood’s first cement sidewalks were laid. Inside this house one of the first telephones in village rang.

It was from this home that James N. Gamble helped realize his dream of connecting the Western Hills with downtown. He played an integral part in the construction of the viaducts; in 1889 he used his own money to purchase and modernize the Cincinnati & Westwood Railroad; ten years later he sealed his own railroad’s fate by helping ensure that proper facilities were constructed for the new Westwood-Cheviot streetcar route. It was to this home Mr. Gamble returned after serving as the guest of honor—at ninety-five years of age—for the opening ceremonies of the Western Hills Viaduct in January of 1932.

It was from this home, in 1915, that James N. Gamble helped establish The United Way organization. Mr. Gamble’s philanthropy is legendary: he was a sponsor of the Freedmen’s Aid Society after the Civil War; his endowment to Christ Hospital allowed for the construction of its Institute of Medical Research; during a time of great personal grief after the death of his grandson, James Nippert, he provided oversight and financial aid to ensure that the stadium at the University of Cincinnati was completed and named in James’ honor. His generosity helped build the beautiful Methodist Church at the corner of Epworth and Urwiler Avenues by matching every congregation member’s one dollar contribution with five dollars of his own.

It was from this home that Mr. Gamble and his wife, Margaret Penrose Gamble worked to ensure the planting of street trees throughout all of Westwood. The Gambles’ love of nature dovetails nicely with the environmental and agricultural tenets of the Greenacres Foundation. Repurposing the grounds for such an initiative is a fitting tribute to the Gamble family legacy—but doing so without sparing the home of our patriarch would be disregardful of the building’s historic significance.