Reviving Cincinnati: 1346 Broadway, Part I

Todd McFarland has been rehabilitating and 1865 Italianate at 1346 Broadway for the past 15 months.

Built by a lard oil salesman at the end of the Civil War and purchased by a German doctor in 1873, the house had fallen into disrepair and had been vacant for more than two years.

But the building is remarkably intact, needing mostly cosmetic work such as plaster, moulding, and trim.

New mechanicals have already been installed and a new roof is in place, and framing and plaster work is ongoing.

At over 4,000 square feet, it's been a time-consuming effort.

"It's more like doing three houses," McFarland says.

McFarland says that he wants to stay as historically accurate as possible in his restoration, something he would choose even without federal and state historic tax credit guidelines.

"I'm adhering to strict guidelines set forth by the Secretary on the Interior that call for saving as much of the original fabric as possible," he says. "For example, all windows in the building will either be restored or exact duplicates of of the original sash will be made."

Almost all of the original woodwork survives and will be restored.

Early in November, the City sold McFarland property located at the end of the Broadway cul-de-sac for off-street parking.

McFarland plans to turn the property into a 3-unit, upscale rental, but he doesn't rule out converting it into condos in the future.

"I don't know, though," he says. "I don't think I'd want to get rid of it."

The 30 photos in this slideshow cover the building's exterior and its first floor, as well as a couple of views.

In part two, we'll take a look at the basement, second floor, third floor, and attic.

Hover over the slideshow to bring up the controls. You may stop the slideshow by clicking on the square "stop" button, allowing you to scroll through the photos at your own leisure. To get a better view, click on each image to enlarge to 640 x 480. Photos will open in a new browser window.