What used to be a crumbling six-bedroom house originally owned by beer baron Christian Moerlein, has been stabilized and is now on the market. However, the mansion in Over-the Rhine's historic district still needs hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs.
The Greater Cincinnati Redevelopment Authority and the partner it manages, the Hamilton County Landbank, spent nearly $200,000 stabilizing the structure and are selling the property at 18 Mulberry Street as is.
It's estimated the property will need $300-400,000 of additional repairs.
To stabilize the property, the Landbank did brick tuck-pointing, replaced the drain spouts and did roof and chimney work. Courtesy Greater Cincinnati Redevelopment Authority
The Redevelopment Authority says the mansion was built in 1870 and Moerlein lived there until 1882. According to Digging Cincinnati:
"After 1882, Christian Moerlein’s son, John C. Moerlein, resided here until 1905 when he moved to Ludlow Avenue. Henry B. Jacob, a brick construction contractor, then took ownership until his death in 1936. The home remained with the Jacob family until 1947."
After 1947, the single-family home was converted into a three-family building. Eventually the property fell into disrepair and faced demolition in 2012. The Landbank stepped in to do brick and roof work.
It's Deborah Robb's job to sell it. She's the Director of the Homesteading and Urban Redevelopment Corporation. Robb says, "It is a shell. It needs a lot of work but it has been stabilized. The flooring is safe. The roof is new. We've make sure that any areas that were unsafe have been stabilized and is now just ready for a family or an investor to come in and put their special touch on it."
The three-story Italianate structure is 7,123 square feet.
The Greater Cincinnati Revelopment Authority says it is stabilizing other properties and is on the lookout for even more. Spokeswoman Gail Paul says a capital campaign is underway. "It will be exciting to announce more buildings we're going to be able to get safe and secure for a new developer."
