316 Pike Street (Central Business District)

• National Historic Landmark – Listed January 7, 1976
• National Register of Historic Place – Listed January 29, 1973 (No. 73001470)

Significance: One of the earliest grand mansions with Federalist detail in Ohio, this single-story structure (c. 1820) was formerly the home of Charles P. Taft, half-brother of President Taft. In 1908, William Howard Taft accepted the presidential nomination from the portico. In 1927, Mr. and Mrs. (Anna) Taft bequeathed it and their collections of paintings, Oriental Porcelains, and sculpture to the City of Cincinnati. Of particular note are the Robert S. Duncanson (1821-1872) landscape murals that adorn the Taft Museum’s hallways. Duncanson was the first African-American artist to achieve international recognition for his work.

The Taft Museum reopened in May 2004 after an extensive $22.8 million renovation and expansion of the facility.  In November that same year, the Ohio Historic Preservation Office awarded the Taft Museum a Preservation Merit Award for this work.  Additional information about the facility and its recent renovation can be found at www.taftmuseum.org.