Amberley Village

Herbert Greer French House
Once the home of Herbert Greer French, this structure is the focal point of a 276-acre property, which he bequeathed to the Board of Park Commissioners. Mr. French was a top Procter & Gamble executive from 1893 until his death in 1942. About 1910, French acquired a group of farms and selected one of the farmhouses to use as a lodge. Calling it Reachmont Farm, he moved there full-time in 1931.
This brick house appears to be early-19th-century and was altered and expanded in the early 20th century. The original section is the four-bay west wing. Between 1908 and 1916, architect David D. Davis (who completed the design of the facade of St. Mary's Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Ky.) drew up plans for Mr. French for an east addition (New kitchen, dinning porch,two bedrooms and sleeping porch).
In 1930, architects Garber & Woodward further expanded the east addition, which required the demolition of a smokehouse and a greenhouse. Garber & Woodward are known for Dixie Terminal, Central Trust Tower, Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. headquarters, and many schools and libraries. (For more about these architects, see appendix.)
In the mid-1970s, Savage, Chappelear, Schulte Associates carried out a major renovation. The house remains an excellent example of Federal and Colonial Revival architecture.