The Allan Gazlay House, Cincinnati, OH

The Gazlay House, Cincinnati, OH Late 1860s Photo: Christie

Photo: John S

The Allen Gazlay House was built in the late 1860s for a wealthy property owner and investor on Dayton Street, and it is probably one of the best examples of Anglo-Italianate in the area. It is symmetrical in plan with the side bays slightly projecting and the limestone facade is defined by quoins. The windows are simpler than in other houses on Dayton, with all of them arched with a thick molding and rococo details at the top. On the first floor, there are Renaissance stone balconies. The most exciting feature is the extremely elaborate Renaissance door surround, which has Corinthian pilasters supporting a full entablature that is deeply carved and a triangular pediment. The round arched door is surrounded by a molding with more vegetal carving in the spandrels. Carving continues on the bracketless cornice which has a deeply carved vegetal frieze and dentils. Rare for houses on this street, the side facades, although plain brick, have some limestone details around the windows. The house seems to have taken all its decorative inspiration from the Renaissance and makes for a design that looks much more like the 1880s Renaissance revival than 1860s Italianate. The grandeur is carried over to the fencing, which has pedimented newel posts around the entrance.
Images below are from HABS, including a couple of the interior.