This Classic Westwood Victorian Is a Sign of the Times

Photograph courtesy of Robert DiTomassi

Cincinnati’s west side: if you know, you know. Locals love its roomy suburban footprint divided by main arteries like Queen City and Glenway avenues. It also has deep cultural roots and hometown pride to spare. What the west side didn’t have, until recently, was much in the way of town squares (à la Hyde Park) to centralize public spaces and help each community feel distinctive. But that’s changing now as shops and restaurants rush to build up the central business districts in neighborhoods like Westwood, already one of the most desirable addresses in the city.

Photograph courtesy of Robert DiTomassi

Photograph courtesy of Robert DiTomassi

That’s where you’ll find this Werk Road home, built in 1897 and characterized by original Victorian features like a butler’s pantry, leaded- and stained-glass windows, and a powerhouse front porch set way back from the street. Two bathrooms, two distinct eating spaces (a formal dining room and eat-in kitchen), and an office space with a separate entrance make this four-bedroom home exceedingly liveable. Originally built for a Nippert family member (as in UC’s Nippert Stadium), the house is grand while also being approachable, especially with its $315,000 price tag. (Which might account for why it was under contract at press time.)

If you’re in the market for a new home in Cincinnati, then you know all too well that open listings are down and demand is very much up. And according to Comey & Shepherd listing agent Robert DiTomassi (of the Druffel DiTomassi team), this is good news for the Westwoods of the world: “Cincinnati has been at this low inventory for years now,” he says. Buyers are opening up their search to neighborhoods that were formerly off their radar, and they have quickly turned to Westwood, which sports new amenities and a gussied up town square.

Photograph courtesy of Robert DiTomassi

This home is emblematic of the neighborhood’s personality: A reliable stock of attrac­tive, semi-urban, single-family homes—many of which are historic. And the real draw of the west side, above and beyond new breweries and a 15-minute downtown commute: Homes here are simply more affordable than their east side counterparts, mainly because this part of town has a kind of insular mystique that has obscured its true value.