Just Askin': What is Cincinnati's oldest National Historic Landmark and what is its story?
The Enquirer's Just Askin' series aims to answer the questions that no one seems to have an answer for, not even Google.
The city of Cincinnati recently celebrated its 236th birthday, so it should come as no surprise we have a number of old buildings.
National Historic Landmarks are approved by the National Park Service, designated as "historic properties that illustrate the heritage of the United States."
Cincinnati has 11 of them: the George Hunt Pendleton House, Alphonso Taft Home, Cincinnati Music Hall, Roebling Bridge, Plum Street Temple, Baum-Taft House, Union Terminal, several historic structures at the Cincinnati Zoo, Carew Tower, Spring Grove Cemetery, and the Cincinnati Observatory. (The Showboat Majestic was once included, but it has since been relocated to Greenup, Kentucky.)
More: 'Cursed' Showboat Majestic now facing violations
Which of those is the oldest and why did it gain acclaim?
The oldest of Cincinnati's National Historic Landmarks is the 225-year-old Baum-Taft House – now the Taft Museum of Art. It is known for being the home to the the family of 27th U.S. president, William Howard Taft, but its historical significance is attributed to a Black artist who defied the odds of his time.
The white frame, Federal-style mansion was built around 1820 for Cincinnati businessman Martin Baum. In 1830, Nicholas Longworth bought the house and later selected Robert S. Duncanson to paint eight indoor landscape murals inspired by the Ohio River Valley.
Painted in 1848, Duncanson's murals are now recognized as the most significant pre-Civil War domestic murals in the U.S., according to the Taft Museum. Each is approximately 9 feet by 6 ½ feet each, and were painted directly on the foyer's plaster walls.
Duncanson was a free Black man born in New York. He moved to Cincinnati just two years before he painted the murals, and spent most of his career in Cincinnati and Detroit. He eventually became the first Black American artist to earn an international reputation.
Do you have a question for Just Askin'? Send it to us at localnews@enquirer.com.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: National Historic Landmarks in Cincinnati: Which is the oldest?
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