Ever wonder why people chose to settle in North Avondale in the 1800s? Mineral springs were an important draw, promising health, cool breezes, and an easy escape from the city’s heat. In the early-1800s, springs in the vicinity of Clinton Springs Avenue—including a well-documented spring near today’s North Avondale Montessori School and Washington Avenue—drew Cincinnatians eager to “take the waters.” Neighborhood lore also recalls a small hotel or “spring house” near the Reading Road and Clinton Springs intersection, likely active between 1840 and 1860, remembered as a place for rest, renewal, and lively socializing at the city’s edge.
The fame of the springs soon inspired wealthy families to build graceful villas along the high ground, in an area known then as Clinton or Clintonville, sometimes referred to as the “Clinton Springs” Villa District. For several decades, this enclave drew visitors and new residents alike, helping make it one of Cincinnati’s early branded suburbs. Celebrated at the time for the beauty of its landscape—leafy heights, sweeping views, and fresher air—the setting reinforced the appeal of country living within easy reach of downtown. Though just one chapter in a much longer story, Clinton Springs left a lasting imprint, helping shape the North Avondale we know and cherish today.
Warmly,
Maura Wolf
NANA NABA Liaison
Request for Historical Information:
Have something to share? A family clipping, deed, ad, or map mentioning Clinton/Clintonville, Clinton Springs Avenue (formerly Highland), Reading Road (known as “Lebanon Turnpike” or “Main”), a “spring house,” a “bath house,” or a hotel/boarding house near this intersection? We’d love to see it to help document this chapter with primary sources. Email nana@northavondalecincincinnati.com
Note: On 1869 Ramsey Map, Clinton Springs Avenue appears as Highland Avenue. It shows 2 residences in the area of the possible Clinton Springs Hotel Site on the east side of Reading at the intersection of Clinton Springs (“Highland”) and Reading (“Main” or “Lebanon Turnpike”) ; on April 17, 1867, Albert O. Tylor conveyed about 5.305 acres (Lot 1 of A. O. Tylor’s Subdivision of Avondale Park, Sections 9 & 10, Millcreek Twp.) to Robert Mitchell. Maxwell’s The Suburbs of Cincinnati (1870) states that Robert Mitchell erected two large brick, Italian-villa–style houses on the east side of Main (Lebanon Turnpike), which have since become the property of his sons-in-law, A. J. Redway and S. R. Burton. Next question: Who sold it to A.O. Tylor?
