The Queen City is known for its impressive architecture throughout the city and in its surrounding neighborhoods. Just about everywhere you turn you can find historic buildings and homes that have elaborate characteristics and artistic features that add to Cincinnati’s unique appeal. Venture to the East Side of Cincinnati to find two of our favorite locations to admire some of the best funky architecture in the area. First on the list is the famous “Mushroom House” of Hyde Park and second is the colorful “Painted Ladies” houses in Columbia Tusculum. They aren’t far from each other and you can make a day trip out of viewing them and vising local businesses and parks nearby!
The Mushroom House of Hyde Park
This whimsical house is something right out of a fairytale and is a must see in Cincinnati! The quirky house has incredible details from the rocks that lay at its foundation to the decorative stain glass windows that make your imagination run wild! Creativity comes to life through this one-bedroom home that is artistic expression from the floor to the ceiling! In the front of the house is a mushroom cap balcony that overlooks Erie Avenue and is hard to miss! The “Mushroom House” is also known as the, “Treehouse” and was built between 1992 and 2006 by architect Terry Brown. This house was Browns studio where he taught the tools of architecture to students and also served as his secondary residence. It has beautiful features like its orange spiral staircase, copper roof, and warped shingles that add to the look of fungi. The inspiration of this home was to create a space that humans could relate to nature with and connect to the adventure of wonderment. A nice local place to stop in after to think about the structure is Coffee Emporium right across the street!
Columbia-Tusculum’s Victorian Patented Houses
The “Painted Ladies”, are gorgeous historic homes on both sides of Tusculum Ave. and are a sheer delight to see! Take your time walking down this stunning street to see the colorful homes that complement each other in the most charming ways. The brightly painted houses are in Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood that was founded in 1788 and make you feel like you are going back in time with a contemporary twist! These Victorian homes are so much fun to look at and the purpose of painting them in vibrant colors was to embellish and enhance their architectural details. Houses like this are historically found in San Francisco, California where the name “Painted Ladies” originated from a book about Victorian houses. When walking down the hill of Tusculum Ave. you even start to feel like you’re in San Francisco! You can find these glorious homes throughout the neighborhood and each have their own one of a kind element to them. The area includes lots of lovely shops, bars with live music, restaurants with local food, and wonderful green spaces like, Alms Park that overlooks the Ohio River. Be sure to explore every inch of what Columbia-Tusculum has to offer while checking out the “Painted Ladies”!
Written By: Christen Collins
