Nomination for William Howard Taft National Historic Site

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

Form No. 10-306 (Rev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DATA SHEET FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED 10.5.6- FOR FEDERAL PROPERTIES SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS NAME HISTORIC AND/OR COMMON William Howard Taft National Historic Site 2 LOCATION 3 STREET & NUMBER 2038 Auburn Avenue CITY, TOWN Cincinnati STATE Ohio CLASSIFICATION - VICINITY OF CODE 34 -NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT First COUNTY Hamilton CODE 061 CATEGORY DISTRICT X BUILDING(S) STRUCTURE .SITE _OBJECT OWNERSHIP XPUBLIC _PRIVATE _BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION _IN PROCESS _BEING CONSIDERED STATUS X OCCUPIED -UNOCCUPIED X_WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE X YES: RESTRICTED _YES: UNRESTRICTED -NO PRESENT USE AGRICULTURE X MUSEUM _COMMERCIAL XPARK -EDUCATIONAL -PRIVATE RESIDENCE _ENTERTAINMENT _RELIGIOUS -GOVERNMENT -SCIENTIFIC _INDUSTRIAL _TRANSPORTATION -MILITARY - OTHER: AGENCY REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS: (If applicable) Midwest Regional Office, National Park Service STREET & NUMBER 1709 Jackson Street CI.TOWN Omaha STATE Nebraska - VICINI TY OF LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION REGISTRY OF DEEDS,ETC.

Midwest Regional Office, National Park Service STREET & NUMBER 1709 Jackson Street CITY,TOWN Omaha STATE Nebraska REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS List of Classified Structures 1976 XFEDERAL STATE _COUNTY _LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEYRECORDS Midwest Regional Office, National Park Service - CITY. TOWN STATE Omaha Nebraska (See continuation sheet, page 1) 7 DESCRIPTION CONDITION -EXCELLENT -GOOD -FAIR X DETERIORATED -RUINS _UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE _UNALTERED XALTERED CHECK ONE XORIGINAL SITE _MOVED DATE DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Description of the property

William Howard Taft National Historic Site is located at 2038 Auburn Avenue in the former suburb of Mt. Auburn in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mt Auburn was platted as a town in 1837. Within easy reach of downtown, Cincinnati's first suburb became an ideal location for middle and upper class homes. By 1849, Mt. Auburn had been annexed to the city, and fashionable "Auburn Street" became known as the "Fifth Avenue" of Cincinnati. Among the old homes that reflect the elegant era is the Alphonso Taft home, birthplace of President William Howard Taft. The Taft property historically included the main house, a garden and orchard, and several dependencies such as a barn and stable. The original house was a two-story brick structure approximately 39 feet by 21 feet with a full basement. It faced west toward Auburn Avenue.

Judging from structural and stylistic trends, the building appears to have been constructed in the early 1840s. In 1851, Alphonso Taft, the father of William Howard Taft, purchased the property and added a 40-by-22-foot wing on the east. This addition also contains two stories and a full basement. Because the Tafts were in a relatively wealthy position, they undertook a host of alterations to the house throughout their occupancy. Although none can be singled out as particularly important, it should be noted that during their ownership the heating, plumbing, and lighting systems were completely replaced. The entire building was constructed of bricks on a rubble limestone foundation. The walls in the lower two stories of the rear addition and the first story of the original structure are three wythes thick and the upper story is two wythes thick.

The coursing is American Bond with one course of headers to each seven courses of stretchers. The bricks are set in a lime mortar. Because of inefficiencies during the original construction and neglect during later years, several major structural problems have arisen within the rear addition. Some of the trouble appears to be related foundation problems. Over the years, the rear addition has gradually shifted. This movement is reflected in the extensive cracks in the masonry walls. Because some problems have developed from rising damp the primary problem appears to be the action of highly expansive clays setting up vertical movements. Ihe moisture problem was temporarily solved when the rear portion of the house was covered with plywood in 1974. At this time, problems with the original house were also remedied.

To reinforce areas weakened by deteriorated mortar, a subterranean retaining wall was constructed encasing the foundation of the pre-1851 structure. During the period 1851 to 1877, before a fire destroyed a portion of the second floor on April 4, 1877, the house was basically Italianate in style. After the fire of 1877, the ceiling of the upper floor was raised and pressed metal details were added to the exterior. Although there was no change in actual square footage, the renovation was much more extensive than was required for necessary repairs. (See continuation sheet, page 2) Form No. 10-300a (Kev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 DATE ENTERED 10-1566 CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 6 PAGE 1 TITLE OF SURVEY: Historic Sites and Buildings DATE OF SURVEY: 1960 TYPE OF SURVEY: County DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Cincinnati City Planning Commission CITY: Cincinnati STATE: Ohio TITLE OF SURVEY: Mount Auburn Historical Survey DATE OF SURVEY: 1971 TYPE OF SURVEY: Local DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Mount Auburn Community Council CITY: Cincinnati STATE: Ohio Form No. 10-300a (Rev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTOR Y -- NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 10.15c4 DATE ENTERED CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 7 PAGE 2 A second major alteration took place in 1964, when an attempt was made to restore the exterior of the house to its pre-1877 appearance. The existing condition of the building reflects this restoration. At present, the only variance from the overall exterior dimensions of the historic period is the addition of a two-story octagonal bay, approximately 6 feet by 22 feet, to the south exterior wall of the rear wing, replacing the two-story piazza along the adjacent wall. The original part of the structure contains none of the original windows and a large number of the interior openings and partitions have also been altered.

In the addition, many of the original architectural details such as door architraves remain, but these features have been reused extensively. Consequently, the interior fabric fo the house reflects the period after 1877 more than it does the earlier period. A situation which further contributes to the problem of interpreting the original interior architectural detailing arose during the time (1940-1961) when the house was used as apartments. During this period many more partitions were added, openings were changed, walls were closed up, and the entire surface of the second floor and much of the first was covered with hardwood flooring. Ihe setting of the Taft Home has been altered considerably since the period of greatest historical significance. In land transfers since the historic period, the property size has been reduced from the original 1.82 acres to the present 0.5 acre.

Frontage on Auburn Avenue has remained the same (100.00 feet), but the east-west depth of the lot has been cut to 220.00 feet. The house has been isolated by the destruction of neighboring houses on either side. The Mt. Auburn area as a whole, however, retains its essential character as a 19th century neighborhood, and is witnessing a revitalization largely shown by the rehabilitation of many fine old homes. The Mt. Auburn Historic District, surrounding the Taft property, is listed in the National Register. The property is fronted on Auburn Avenue by a sidewalk restored in 1974-75 with brick paving approximately 12 feet in width with granite curbing. The front wall of limestone blocks with sandstone coping about four foot in height was dismantled, moved west approximately 6" to the historic property line and reinforced in 1974-75.

The decorative iron fence atop the wall along its entire length has also been repaired and set in place. The carriage entrance was reduced to its historic dimensions and restored. The present width between the piers is 10 and one-half feet. The central entranceway, opening onto the sidewalk which leads to the front porch, is in place. With the exception of the steps at the front entrance, the concrete walkways and stairs on the grounds are not historic. These modern features, are, for the most part, in the same locations as the historic stairs and walks. The only significant departure from the historic pattern is the addition of a walk around the northeast side of the house. During the historic period, it is likely that all walks, including the front sidewalk along Auburn Avenue, were of unmortared, herringbone-patterned brick. (See continuation sheet, page 3) Form No. 10-300a (Rev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 DATE ENTERED (0./5.6- CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER T PAGE 3 The form, if not the surface and gradient of the carriageway drive, is fairly well preserved, paralleling the north property line and departing the large carriageway entrance. This thirteen-foot wide drive leading to the back of the property has been the object of application of various types of surface treatment, all of it in poor condition, and slopes rather sharply downward toward the back of the property. This drive gives way to modern fill approximately 50 feet east of the carriageway entrance, which covers the historic rear topography and traces of historic features. The depth of this fill is approximately 12 feet.

The marked downward slope of the property from west to east is not nearly so great as in historic times, due to the addition of fill on the back lot. Historically, this downward slope continued eastward along the entire strip of original property. The east boundary of the reduced property is marked by a "Cyclone" fence erected by the county, except the northeast corner where a short length of iron fencing is cemented atop a retaining wall. To the east of the line lies the macadam juvenile court parking lot, and further back is the northern end of the juvenile building and its lawn, also encroaching on the historic eastern extension of the Alphonso Taft property. Because of the loss of integrity this portion of the original Taft ownership is not included in the nomination. It is acceptably screened from the house by vegetation along the fence.

Tracing the approximate north boundary line of the property is an old stone retaining wall which reaches a height of approximately ten feet at the northeast corner. This was built, or at least altered, on numerous occasions by Alphonso Taft and served to keep unstable deposits under the Taft carriageway, carriage house and back lot from slumping northward and northeastward into a large rectangular depression which pertained to adjoining properties. The wall is presently discontinuous and somewhat erratic in orientation, in places standing as far as four feet outside the surveyed property line. Historically derived vegetation on the property can be readily identified. Iwo large horse chestnut trees flank the east-west sidewalk on the front lawn, and a smaller oak tree stands off the southwest corner of the house.

White and purple honeysuckle grows beside and just south of the carriage drive inside the carriageway entrance. A large pear tree to the north of the front portion of the home may well be historic. Banks of feral grapes grow in unkept vegetation along the entire north property line. A large catalpa tree situated just off the southeast corner of the house is of historic attribution. Large and impressive hackberry and ash trees are spaced just inside the south property line near the back of the lot. The landscaping Ty stne near the on the property was rather casual reflecting the suburban atmosphere of Mt. Auburn area at that historic period. (See continuation sheet, page 4) Form No. 10-300a (Hev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 DATE ENTERED 16.15.66 CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 7 4 PAGE The authorized boundary of William Howard Taft National Historic Site also includes land which was not part of the original Taft property but was included for administrative purposes. This nomination, however, includes only the immediate setting of the house on the surviving -5 acre portion of historic Taft property. The additional land is an adjacent .28 acre parcel that was cleared of an apartment building which was a neighboring residence during the historic period and donated to the National Park Service by the William Howard Taft Memorial Association. property has 101.35'frontage on Auburn Avenue with an east-west depth of 120.03 feet.

The land slopes from Auburn Avenue having a total drop of 20 feet in the first 100 feet. Access to this parcel is off Southern Avenue down a steep drive. Approximately 20 feet of property along the eastern end has been paved and is now used by the residents of Southern Arms Apartments for parking. The site is composed chiefly of rubble remaining after the demolition of the structure. Ihis material is unsuitable for any development without extensive construction. William Howard Taft National Historic Site depends for its integrity on the preservation of the house and its appropriate and compatible development to interpret to the public the

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

significance of Taft and his family in American history. Park Service planning for the property is not complete, however, and no decisions have been made on its future treatment. Priority will be given to preservation countering the serious structural problems. Otherwise, the house has in the past been adversely affected by isolation caused by the removal of its neighbors on either side. The property should be protected from incompatible intrusions in its immediate vicinity, and it would be desirable that any future constructure within its view be comparable in scale and mass to the sizable 19th century houses typical of the neighborhood.

8 SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD PREHISTORIC 1400-1499 1500-1599 _1600-1699 -1700-1799 X 1800-1899 _1900- AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW _ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC COMMUNITY PLANNING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -CONSERVATION *LAW AGRICULTURE -ECONOMICS _LITERATURE XARCHITECTURE _EDUCATION -MILITARY ART _ENGINEERING -MUSIC COMMERCE -EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT -PHILOSOPHY -COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY X.POLITICS/GOVERNMENT _INVENTION _RELIGION -SCIENCE SCULPTURE SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN _THEATER -TRANSPORTATION XOTHER (SPECIEVI SPECIFIC DATES BUILDER

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECT STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE William Howard Taft National Historic Site, designated on December 2, 1969, preserves the birthplace and boyhood home of the 2Tth President of the United States. The house, an example of Italianate architecture, included within the Mount Auburn historic district, saw the birth of Taft on September 15, 1857 and witnessed his growth into manhood. Taft's association with the house ended, except for visits in later years, with his matriculation at Yale University in 1874. This house is the only structure surviving which is associated with Taft and his family. The Taft family has had a significant role in the history of our nation for almost one hundred years. Alphonso Taft, the only child of Peter Rawson and Sylvia Howard Taft, after a distinguished career as a Cincinnati lawyer and a member of the Ohio judicary served in President Ulysses S.

Grant's cabinet and as minister to several European powers. One of his sons, William Howard Taft, was elected President of the United States and served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1921 until 1930. He is the only man to head two of the three branches of our government. Horace Dutton Taft, another son, founded the Taft School. Robert Alphonso Taft, the President's son, was the Republican leader in the Senate from 1939 until his death in 1953. Mr. Republican's son, Robert A. Taft, Jr., is currently serving the people of Ohio as their junior United States Senator.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Bearrs, Edwin C., Historic Structure Report, Historical Data-Home, William Howard Taft National Historic Site, Ohio, Denver Service Center, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, October 1972. Draft Environmental Assessment, Master Plan, William Howard Taft National Historic Site, Denver Service Center, National Park Service, U.S.

Department of the Interior, February 1976- (See continuation sheet, page 5) GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY UTM REFERENCES A[1,6 1712,514,0,0 14,313218,0,0 ZONE EASTING NORTHING BL,J LludLilili EASTING NORTHING Lulu JLlLu VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION STATE STATE LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES CODE CODE COUNTY COUNTY CODE CODE 11 FORM PREPARED BY NAME / TITLE David Arbogast ORGANIZATION National Park Service STREET & NUMBER 1709 Jackson Street CITY OR TOWN Omaha Historical Architect DATE May 7, 1976 TELEPHONE 402-221-3423 STATE Nebraska 12 CERTIFICATION OF NOMINATION STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER RECOMMENDATION YES.

NO NONE STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE In compliance with Executive Order 11593, I hereby nominate this property to the National Register, certifying that the State Historic Preservation Officer has been allowed 90 days in which to present the nomination to the State Review Board and to BEPTSEN uficance TINED'ONARURE he evaluated level of significance is National State - _Local. TITLE Deputy seele DATE JUN 1 1976 FOR NPS USE ONLY I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER ATTEST: DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF ARCHEOLÓGY AND HISTORIC PRECERVATION KEEPER OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER DATE DATE 10 (2(76 Form No. 10-300a (Rev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED DATE ENTERED IIN 7 1976 10.15,64 CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 9 PAGE 5 Leonard, A. A., Life of Alphonso Taft, Hawke Publishing Company, 1920. r'ngle, 1964, vo ue 1 e and Times of W221 an Howard Taft, Connectieut, Archon Ross, Tahy, 1 American Pamiay: The Jafts-2678-2964, CZeveland, Woxzd Pub2ishing Property William Howard Taft National Historic Site State Ohia TECHNICAL Photos Maps Working Number Nicely documentid Lec.

2,1569 Already on NR 66000612 CONTROL pl OK 6.18.26 HISTORIAN ACCEP WEngDe ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN Accept m jhettz 7-4.76 ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER Inventory Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF BRANCH CHIEF OK Cole 10-10-76 KEEPER W 10 National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry Send-back Re-submit Entered United States Department of the Interior National Park Service WASO No. 7 INT:2106-74 WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE Ninninnati Nhin Form No. 10-301a (Pev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 DATE ENTERED 14./3.

SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES ENCLOSE WITH PHOTOGRAPH 4 NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON LOCATION CITY.TOWN Cincinnati -VICINITY OF COUNTY Hamilton STA PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT National Park Service DATE OF PHOTO March NEGATIVE FILEDAT William Howard Taft National Historic Site IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW. DIRECTION, ETC. IF DISTRICT, GIVE BUILDING NAME & STREET West facade of home. PHOTC PARKS CENTENN, WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE Cincinnati, Ohio Form No. 10-301a (Eev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 DATE ENTERED 10%/ SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES ENCLOSE WITH PHOTOGRAPH 3 NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON LOCATION CITY. TOWN Cincinnati _VICINITY OF PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT National Park Service DATE OF PHOTO NEGATIVE FILEDAT William Howard Taft National Historic Site IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW. DIRECTION, ETC. IF DISTRICT. GIVE BUILDING NAME & STREET West (front) and north (side) elevations of home. coUNtY Hamilton sTaTE March 1972 PHOTO NO. PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER Service ». No.3 William Howard Taft National Histöric Site Form No. 10-301a (Pev.

10-71) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 28-00 Hamilton County DATE ENTERED SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES ENCLOSE WITH PHOTOGRAPH 1 Cincinnati, Ohio Negative at Mid west Reaiss 2 3 NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON LOCATION CITY.TOWN Cincinnati _VICINITY OF COUNTY Hamilton STATE PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT DATE OF PHOTO Ca. 1868 NEGATIVE FILED AT Midwest Regional Office, National Park Service IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC. IF DISTRICT, GIVE BUILDING NAME & STREET North (side) and west (front) elevations of home from Auburn Street. PHOTO N Form No. 10-301a (Pev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 William Howard Taft National Historic Hamilton County Site DATE ENTERED SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES ENCLOSE WITH PHOTOGRAPH 1:1 NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON LOCATION CITY. TOWN Cincinnati _VICINITY OF COUNTY Hamilton STATI PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT DATE OF PHOTO Ca. 1962 NEGATIVE FILED AT Midwest Regional Office, National Park Service IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW. DIRECTION, ETC. IF DISTRICT, GIVE BUILDING NAME & STREET North (side) and west (front) elevations of home prior to restoration. PHOTO NC Cincinnati, Photo taken Ohio ca. 1962 Negative William Howard Taft National Historic Site Cicimnat; Chio Hamitton County Ca.

19a Negati South Form No. 10-301a (Pev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 DATE ENTERED 10. ISC SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES ENCLOSE WITH PHOTOGRAPH 3 NAME William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON LOCATION CITY.TOWN Cincinnati _VICINITY OF COUNTY Hamilton STATE PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT DATE OFPHOTO Ca. 1962 NEGATIVE FILED AT Midwest Regional Office, National Park Service IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC. IF DISTRICT, GIVE BUILDING NAME & STREET South (side) and west (front) elevations of home prior to restoration. PHOTO NO PRODENTY OF THE MATIONAL REGISTER Form No. 10-301a (Pev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NPS U RECEIVED DATE ENTE SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGI TYPE ALL ENTRIES ENCLOSE WITH PHOTO NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON 2 LOCATION CITY. TOWN Cincinnati _VICINITY OF COUNTY Han 3 PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT National Park Service DATE OF PHOT NEGATIVE FILEDAT William Howard Taft National Historic Sit IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW. DIRECTION, ETC. IF DISTRICT, GIVE BUILDING NAME & STREET West (front) and north (side) elevations of home. Form No. 10-301a (Pev.

10-71) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NPSU RECEIVED DATE ENTE SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGI TYPE ALL ENTRIES ENCLOSE WITH PHOTO( 2 NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON LOCATION CITY TOWN Cincinnati VICINITY OF PHOTO REFERENCE PHOTO CREDIT National Park Service COUNTY Ham DATE OF PHOT NEGATIVE FILEDAT William Howard Taft National Historic Si IDENTIFICATION DESCRIBE VIEW, DIRECTION, ETC. IF DISTRICT, GIVE BUILDING NAME & STREET North (side) and east (rear) elevations of home sho plywood-encased rear wing. Form No. 10-301 (Rev.

10-74 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY MAP FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 1976 DATE ENTERED SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- ENCLOSE WITH MAP NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON 2 3 LOCATION CITY. TOWN Cincinnati -VICINITY OF COUNTY Hamilton STATE Ohio MAP REFERENCE SOURCE United States Geological Survey-Covington Quadrangle SCALE 1:2400 DATE 1961 4 REQUIREMENTS TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS 1. PROPERTY BOUNDARIES 2. NORTH ARROW 3. UTM REFERENCES INT: 34 64 - 75 Form No. 10-301 (Rev.

10-74 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY MAP FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 DATE ENTERED SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- ENCLOSE WITH MAP 1 NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON 2 LOCATION CITY. TOWN Cincinnati _VICINITY OF COUNTY Hamilton STATE Ohio 3 MAP REFERENCE sourcE Park Brochure SCALE 1"=.8 miles DATE 4 REQUIREMENTS TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS 1. PROPERTY BOUNDARIES 2. NORTH ARROW 3.

UTM REFERENCES INT: 34 64 - 75 TO INTERSTATE 74 75 HARRISON AVE KILOMETER MILE CENTRAL MRIY LIBERTY ST OHIO ILL CREEK EXPWY RIVER 1S McMILLAN ST AUBURN AVE WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT NHS SYCAMORE ST CENTRAL PKWY 9TH ST 7TH ST SYCAN MORE ST 5TH ST DOWNTOWN 9E RIVER FRONTO STADIUM READING RD DORCHESTER AVE GILBERT EDEN PARK DRIVE GILBERT OHIO - Taft Museum OIHO KENTUCKY 75 71 (ONE WAY) RIVER REV 1974 NEW 1972 rey, dmnust c mnd tatet, Louise lall Saru tas "he is perfectly healthy and hearty and | take real comfort in taking care of him. He is very large for his age, and grows fat every day. The question of complexion is not yet settled-his eyes are at present 'deeply darkly, beautifully blue.' Mrs. Alphonso Taft, her four children, a nurse, and the Taft home about 1867. The boy on the gate post is probably William Howard Form No. 10-301 (Rev.

10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY MAP FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 DATE ENTERED SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- ENCLOSE WITH MAP 1 NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON 2 LOCATION CITY. TOWN Cincinnati -VICINITY OF COUNTY Hamilton STATE Ohio 3 MAP REFERENCE SOURCE Draft Environmental Assessment SCALE 1:1600 DATE February 1976 4 REQUIREMENTS TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS 1. PROPERTY BOUNDARIES 2. NORTH ARROW 3. UTM REFERENCES INT: 34 64 - 75 SOTHERN AVE. EXISTiNG BOUNDARY FOR TAPT HISTORICAL SITE CALRAGETEIVE PROBABLE CARRIAGEHOUSE LOCATIOM BARN BRICK SIDEWALKS -TAFT HOME -SHOF ORCHARD AUBURN AVE. BODMAN ST. - VEGFTABLE GARDEN BATH HOUSE YANG ST.

BEEHIVES BOUNEARY OF HISTORI PROPERTY HISTORIC-BASEMAP WILHAM HOWARD TAFT N.H.S. OHIO NATIEN PREE DERNETMENT CE THE INTERNR o 50250. 448 P.S.C. 40,010 Form No. 10-301 (Rev. 10-74 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PROPERTY MAP FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JUN 7 1976 DATE ENTERED SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- ENCLOSE WITH MAP NAME HISTORIC William Howard Taft National Historic Site AND/OR COMMON 2 LOCATION CITY. TOWN Cincinnati -VICINITY OF COUNTY Hamilton STATE Ohio 3 MAP REFERENCE SOURCE Draft Environmental Assessment SCALE 1:1600 DATE February 1976 4 REQUIREMENTS TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS 1. PROPERTY BOUNDARIES 2. NORTH ARROW 3. UTM REFERENCES INT: 3464 - 75 WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT ELEMELTARY SCHOOL SOTHERM AVE. AFARTMENT BUILDING APTS.

APARTMENT BUILDING EXESTIUA PARKIUG OT UNKUn ABLE FOR TAFT FAEK- AKA NCEDS SUCTABLET SIZE FOR ADDITIOMAL PARKING WEEDS DUE TO STEEP TERERI TAFT HOME ETED USE OL ITE VEHICULAR CIRCULATION ROUTE -BOUNDARY OF HISTORIC TAFT LAND i AUBURN AVE. HANLTOM COUNTY JUVENILE DETENTION HOME AUD GROUNDS YOUNG ST. PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC PATTERU BODMAN ST. CONMUNITY RECREATION CENTER ATHORZED BANDARY TAFT U.H.S. LAND IN PRINATE OWWERSHIP AND IN PUBLC ONNERSHIP EXISTING-CONDITIONS OHIO N.H.S.

WILLAM HOWARD TAFT NATTRRL INEE BENIETMENT OF THE INTEROR 100° 50'25 0° 448 DSC 40,000 OEPARTMENT THE pc- INTERIOR March 3, 1849 IN REPLY REFER TO: H34 MWR PH United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MIDWEST REGION 1709 JACKSON STREET OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68102 MAY 1 : 1976 Memorandum To: Associate Director, Professional Services, WASO To Attention of: ¡Assistant Director, Park Historic Preseryatian From: Regional Director, Midwest Region Subject: National Register Forms, William Howard Taft National Historic Site We are enclosing Forms 10-306, National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Forms, for William Howard Taft National Historic Site, a historical area of the National Park System already listed in the National Register.

Because the significance of the property has been determined in the past, and in accordance with instructions, we have provided an informational copy only to the State Historic Preservation Officer, but have not sought his signature or / dugh P. Beathe AcingRegional Director Enclosure CC: Manager, Denver Service Center Attention: Chief, Historic Preservation Division w/c enc. Manager, Denver Service Center Attention: Assistant Manager, Midwest/ Rocky Mountain Team w/c enc. Chief, Midwest Archeological Center w/c enc. Superintendent, William Howard Taft National Historic Site w/c enc. 776-1976 SCENTENNIAL MAY 21 REGEIVED IATIONA: PARK SERVICE HINCTON OFFICE EPARTMENT ONTINI 1849 IN REPLY REFER TO: H34PC United States Department of the Interior NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WASHINGTON, D.C.

20240 JUN 1 1976 Memorandum To: Director, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservatfon Through: Federal Representative to the National Register, Department of the Interior From: Federal Representative, National Park Service Subject: Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places Enclosed is the nomination of "William Howard Taft National Historic Site," in the Midwest Region of the National Park Service, submitted in confirmation of its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. 6 -1 Robertn ttle Robert M. Utley ( Enclosure S 1il18J9 RECEIVED JUN7 1976 NATIONAL REGISTER TIEITEIID William Howard Taft NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE OHIO 12 /2/69 Ramiltar Co William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States, was born on September 15, 1857, in a first-floor bedroom of the family home at 2038 Auburn Avenue.

Writing to her sister, Delia Tor- rey, almost 2 months later, Louise Taft said that "he is perfectly healthy and hearty and I take real comfort in taking care of him. He is very large for his age, and grows fat every day. The question of complexion is not yet settled-his eyes are at present 'deeply darkly, beautifully blue!." Mrs. Alphonso Taft, her four children, a nurse, and the Taft home about 1867. The boy on the gate post is probably William Howard After receiving a law degree in Connecticut in 1838, William Howard Taft's father Alphonso visi- ted various cities before settling in Cincinnati. "After balancing every consideration, which I have been able to bring to bear upon the case, I am dis- posed to locate here," he wrote Fanny Phelps in his home town of Townshend, Vermont, from Cin- cinnati. "The practice is not very profitable, nor is it very unprofitable.

The office in which I now am, brings in about five thousand dollars a year." On August 29, 1841, he married Fanny who bore him 5 children. Fanny died 11 years later, but Alphonso Taft did not remain a widower long. At the end of 1853, he married Louise Torrey, of Millbury, Massa- chusetts. Though Cincinnati in 1870 had a population of more than 200,000, the people were scattered along the Ohio River and upon the seven hills that form an arc above the river. The atmosphere was one of many small villages rather than that of a large city. The Taft boys - there were four besides William Howard-seem to have lived like other boys their age. They swam, skated, fought with the boys from Walnut Hills and Vine Street, and gen- erally enjoyed themselves on the baseball diamond and in other youth-related activities. Young William Howard was an avid baseball player; second base was his territory.

Strong arms made him a strong batter, which somewhat compensated for his lack of speed running the bases. His interest in baseball continued through his presidential years, when he inaugurated the Presidential custom of throwing out the first ball of each new season. Will Taft attended Woodward High School, one of the first public schools to offer college preparation programs. Encouraged by his father, who believed in earnest application to one's studies, he gradu- ated second in his class in 1874. That autumn he left for 4 years at Yale. Taft enjoyed the years at Yale, and graduated second in the class there, too. A classmate, Herbert W. Bowen, said Taft "was the most admired and respected man not only in my class but in all Yale." In 1878, Taft returned home where he studied law and received a degree from Cincinnati Law School. In June 1886 he married Helen Herron of Cincinnati.

They had three child- ren, Robert Alphonso, who became a U.S. Sen- ator, Helen Herron, and Charles Phelps II. William Howard Taft's career was one of gradually increasing responsibilities. Shortly after his 23d birthday he became solicitor and then assistant prosecutor for Hamilton County. He was for a brief period collector of internal revenue for Ohio and Kentucky in 1881; judge on the Ohio Superior Court for Cincinnati in 1887; Solicitor General of the United States in 1890; U.S. circuit judge for the 56th Judicial District in 1892; President of the Philippines Commission in 1900; Civil Governor of the Philippines in 1901; and Secretary of War in 1904. He was elected President of the United States in 1909, appointed Kent professor of constitutional law at Yale University in 1913, and named Chief Justice of the United States in 1921.

President Taft prepares to sign the bills admitting New Mexico and Arizona to the Union in 1912. William Allen White questioned Taft in 1908 about how he "got these jobs at so young an age." Taft replied somewhat facetiously: "I got my political pull, first, through father's prominence; then through the fact that | was hail-fellow-well-met with all of the political people of the city convention- going type. I also worked in my ward and some- times succeeded in deflating the regular gang can- didate by hustling around among good people to get them out." Taft was indeed the prominent son of a prominent father. Alphonso Taft had served as the Secretary of War and Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant. He later went to Vienna as minis- ter to Austria-Hungary, and as minister to Russia at St. Petersburg (Leningrad) for President Chester Arthur.

Alphonso's son always remained a loyal Republican, too, and felt uneasy when the party was out of power. Though Taft was thoroughly interested in politics, he was not a politically ambitious man. His first love was the law. As his biographer, Henry F. Pringle, put it, "Taft worshipped the law; no under- standing of him is possible without appreciation of the fact." This admiration early kindled a desire for appointment to the Supreme Court. Even in 1905, when he was being mentioned as a possible presi- dential candidate, he wrote one of his brothers: "my ambition is to become a justice of the Supreme Court.

I presume, however, there are very few men who would refuse to accept the nomination of the Republican party for the presidency, and I am not an exception." On another occasion when the Tafts were dining with President Theodore Roosevelt, the President closed his eyes and said, "I see a man weighing three hundred and fifty pounds. There is something hanging over his head. I cannot make out what it is.... At one time it looks like the presi- dency, then again it looks like the chief jucticeship." TO INTERSTATE 74 McMILLAN ST 52 HARRISON AVE KILOMETER MILE CENTRAL PKME AUBURN AVE WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT NHS SYCAMORE ST LIBERTY ST OHIO CREEK EXPWY RIVER CENTRAL PKWY 9TH ST TTH ST 5TH ST DOWNTOWN 9E CINCINNATI RIGEABIONT O KENTUCKY Mrs.

Taft replied: "Make it the presidency." Taft replied: "Make it the chief justiceship:" Though Taft longed to be on the Supreme Court, he turned down two Roosevelt offers of appoint- ment while he was serving as Civil Governor of the Philippines, and as Secretary of War. He did not believe that the United States should have taken the Islands, "but being there, we must exert our- selves to construct a government which should be adapted to the needs of the people so that they might be developed into a self-governing people." Once in the Philippines, Taft found that he would have to struggle not only with the problems of the Filipinos but also against the American military au- thorities who opposed the establishment of the civil government.

The "needs of the people" and Taft's steadfast faith in the necessity for a civil govern- ment provided the grounds for his refusal to accept a position on the Supreme Court. On December 23, 1903, Taft sailed for the United States to become Secretary of War in Roosevelt's cabinet. The job became one of intimate advisor to Roosevelt, and the President sent him off frequently to deal with new crises-the Canal Zone; Cuba, where he was Provisional Governor in 1906; and Japan, where he helped smooth out Japanese- American relations. By 1908, it was clear to most political observers that William Howard Taft would be the Republican presidential candidate if Theodore Roosevelt chose not to run. In the end, this is what happened. And in the autumn, Taft defeated William Jennings Bryan, who was running for the third time, by an electoral vote of 321 to 162.

As President, Taft found it difficult to deal with a Congress made up of Old Guard Republicans, Progressive Republicans, and Democrats. His grow- ing reliance on the Old Guard and the inclusion of (ONE WAY) - READING RD DORCHESTER AVE GILBERT AVE Taft Museum GILBERT RIVER OHIO REV 1974 NEW 1972 Library of Congres Taft became Chief Justice of the United States in 1921. Several members of this court achieved great prominence, notably Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louis D. Brandeis, and Harlan F. Stone, who himself was appointed Chief Justice in 1941. This 1926 photograph shows, from left to right, James C. McReynolds, Edward T. Sanford, Holmes, George Sutherland, Taft, Pierce Butler, Willis Van Devanter, Stone and Brandeis. some corporation lawyers in the cabinet made many people conclude that he was abandoning the previous administration's programs, which he had pledged to continue.

The growing hostility between Congress and the President produced some legis- lative stalemates, but many important and pro- gressive acts are still with us today. Taft recommended in 1909 that Congress submit to the States an amendment which would permit levying a Federal income tax. In 1910, he asked the heads of Government departments to prepare esti- mates of their coming fiscal year expenses-the first comprehensive budget in the Nation's history. In January 1912 he urged Congress to adopt an annual Federal budget, but this proposal was ig- nored.Taft's Attorney General, George Wickersham, vigorously enforced the antitrust laws in a careful systematic fashion, and Taft filed more antitrust suits in 4 years than previous administrations, or Woodrow Wilson's.

Over the objections of bankers, Taft in 1910 signed a bill instituting a postal savings program which he considered "one of the great Congressional enactments." He also established the Children's Bureau and the Department of Labor and recommended strengthening the Interstate Commerce Commission so that it could regulate the transportation industry more realistically. Two new States, New Mexico and Arizona, came into the Union during his administration. Taft was not a showman. Perhaps because he did not widely publicize his accomplishments, the pop- ular mind saw him as a vacillator and one who catered to "Big Business." Dissent grew within his party and at the 1912 convention Roosevelt's name was placed in nomination by those who believed that little or no effort was being made at reform. When Taft won renomination, Roosevelt and his followers formed the Bull Moose party.

In Novem- ber, the separate campaigns of Roosevelt and Taft divided the Republican vote, and the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson, won the Presidency. Though the campaign was bitter, President Taft left office gracefully and in a few months became Kent professor of constitutional law at Yale Univer- sity. During World War I, President Wilson named him co-chairman of the National War Labor Board. And in 1921, President Warren G. Harding named him Chief Justice of the United States-the office Taft had always wanted. He, therefore, became the only man who ever served as both President and Chief Justice of the United States. Taft found the court in an almost unworkable situation. Cases were piling up faster than it could handle them. He worked to improve the efficiency of the courts and urged the passage of legislation for this purpose.

Two acts, one in 1922 and the other in 1925, created new Federal judges and lifted some of the burden from the Supreme Court. As Pringle has said, "his prolonged interest in and his tireless labors for judicial reform were his crowning achievements." He was primarily respon- sible for the construction of the present Supreme Court Building. On February 3, 1930, Taft resigned because of a failing heart. He died in Washington on March 8, 1930, and was buried in Arlington Na- tional Cemetery. Alphonso Taft bought this 2-story brick home in 1851 and extensively remodeled it to accommo- date the growing Taft family. The home remained in the family until 1899. In 1961 the Taft Memorial Association, under the leadership of Charles Phelps Taft II, son of the President, acquired con- trol of the house and grounds.

The property was designated William Howard Taft National Historic Site by Act of Congress December 2, 1969. While the National Park Service is completing restora- tion of the home, the interior is closed for safety reasons; however, visitors may tour the grounds, and temporary exhibits and information is pro- vided. OBSERVE SAFETY WARNINGS AND WATCH FOR UNEVEN GROUND AND LOOSE GRAVEL. Visitors may also wish to see the Taft Museum at 316 Pike St. ADMINISTRATION William Howard Taft National Historic Site is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. A unit manager, whose address is 2038 Auburn Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45219, is in immediate charge.

As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has basic responsibili- ties to protect and conserve our land and water, energy and minerals, fish and wildlife, park and recreation areas, and for the wise use of all those resources. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in Island Territories under U.S. administration. National Park Service U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WOOC VOLKEES ASSOCESOROE Cincinnati have signed up to handeraft two staircases and restore the surviving main staircase. - One woman sent in a check for S1 to buy geraniums for the front porch. The porch hasn't been put back yet, but next spring, Mrs.

Boyd said, "l intend to have a pot of geraniums out there where she cansee what happened to her doliar." WORKING from a next-door rented apartment at 2058 Auburn Ave.,Mrs. Boyd continues to push her gift catalog with proprietary zeal. Politicians named Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan endorsed the project; Carter sent a hand-written letter. Federal allocations are always iffy, but Mrs. Boyd hopes for $200,000 for the fiscal year staring Oct. 1 and, just In case, asked for $400,000 more than that. In a restoration, the Park Service looks hardfor "ghosts," but not the kind that would make you sink down into your featherbed and shiver beneath an old quilt at night. These are the architectural "ghosts" that provide clues for restoration detectives. The search for the nursery. where Taft was born Sept. 15, 1857, is one example.

*We had only two letters Mother wrote," said Ranger Witherup, a 10- year employee at the site. "MOTHER" - Louise Torrey Taft -mentioned in one letter that the first-floor master bedroom, in the east wing added by Alphonso Taft in 1852, was separated from the nursery by two flanking closets. To find it seemed hopeless, however. The house had been extensively remodeled following an 1877 tire. The "ghosts" were simply hidden. Removing an 1877 staircase, park service experts found the marks left by closet shelves on the plaster of the wall underneath. Elated, they "started yelling and laughing and ripping off the old lath (wooden strips to hold plaster) to expose both closet door openings,"Witherup recalled.

"It was as exciting as an archeologist discovering a new tomb.* That decided the location of the nursery, though not in which of the two other corners the future President made his first speech. When the future president wastwo months old, Louise Taft wrote to a sister that baby Will was "perfectly healthy and hearty and I take real comfort in taking care of him. He is very large for his age and grows fat every day As an adult, Taft eventually stood six feet tall and weighed 327 pounds. That led to an in-house joke here that he was probably "born in both corners" of the nursery. If Mrs. Boyd's grassroots catalog keeps working, visitors in another three or four years should be able to see the room much as it was on Sept. 15. 1857.

Taft home in 1868 photo East wing reinforced with concrete, steel cables Superintendent Boydsands near Taft birthplace assified IN THIS SECTION Mortgage chart, 2 House of the Week, 2 Stamps, 3 Dr. Steincrohn, 3 F ipe with loving care Staff photos by Bill Waugh Original Covington firm will repair iron fence 1,000 hours of his time, or whatever time it takes, to design the house's new heating, electrical and air conditioning systems. - Ann Mills, a retired hotel worker on Social Security, has been showing up two days a week to answer phones, clean artifacts or do office work. - Warren Hawkinson, an expert.on antiques, has volunteered to inspect and appraise all the pieces of furniture that people offer to donate to the site. (The period 1857-77 is targeted.) - Mr. and Mrs. Carson Whiting donated $3,000 for a new front door and hardware. - James A.

Moorman, of Cincinnati Plating & Repair Co., is restoring all the warehoused Taft silver, trophies and other metal objects, one piece at a time. His appraisal alone was worth $3,000, Mrs. Boyd said. - Thirty members of the File photo Construction worker at restoration site Taft as president was man of 'firsts Some people will remember William Howard Taft as the president who was so fat, the White House had to obtain a king-sized bathtub to accommo- date him. That is true, but it ignores a distinguished career as U.S. so- licitor general, circuit court judge, commissioner and civil governor of the Philippines, and secretary of war under Theodore Roosevelt. After succeeding Roosevelt as the nation's 27th president, Taft marked several firsts during his four years in of- fice. He was the first president to: - Purchase (Wright) airplanes for the armed forces, in June 1909.

- Visit Mexico while in office, October 1909. - Authorize collection of a (2 percent) federal income tax, November 1909. *Ask Congress to adopt an annual federal budget, in Janu- ary 1912, a year after he had asked federal department heads to estimate their expenses for the coming fiscal year. (Congress ignored the request.) - Open a major league baseball season by tossing out the first pitch, April 1910. (Also the first president to play golf.) - Preside over all 48 continen- tal United States with the admis- sion of New Mexico and Arizona, 1911. - Appoint a woman to head a federal agency: Julla C. Lathrop as head of the Department of Labor Children's Bureau, April 1912. - Propose one six-year term for the presidency, 1913.

- Beyond that, Taft was the File photo President Taft, a doer only president who also served as chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, from 1921 until shortly before his death in 1930. In that capacity he reor- ganized the entire federal court system and obtained money from Congress for construction ofthe Supreme Court building, which he did not live to see completed. Alphonso and Louise Taft, he called them "Father" and "Mother." "Sam started proudly showing me around the house, before he knew who I was," Mrs. Boyd said. "He really inspired me." THEN SHE MET 84-year-old Charlie Taft and other members of his family and found the old man "so depressed that the park service hadn't done anything. Ipromised him, As iong as 1 am here, something will happen! Several things happened. In 1982, Mrs.

Boyd obtained a $300,000 appropriation from Congress and used $154,000 of it to stabilize the crumbling east wing of the house, which had separated six inches from the main structure. The foundation was excavated 18 feet below grade. It: was sandwiched with concrete, and steel cables were installed to make sure the building "won't go anywhere," as Mrs. Boyd put it. In 1983, 23 coats of paint were carefully removed from the exterior and the interior was stabilized. Park service experts discovered the roof was "just sitting on top" of the house, so in went more steel rods. ALSO IN 1983, local preservationists formed a new organization called Friends of the William H. Taft Birthplace, a vehicle for raising private money and publicizing the project. About 300people have joined the organization at $10 each.

Members of the Taft family have pledged more than $50,000 toward the restoration, which may cost $4 million eventually. And last fall, former U.S. Sen. Robert Taft Jr. did something Mrs. Boyd may not do under the rules of her department: He wrote directly to President Ronald Reagan, asking that completion of the house be given higher budget priority. This year the budget is more than $400,000, including $160,000 for staffing and a $174,000 contract to finish the exterior restoration. That includes brick and mortar repair, windows, a roof and three coats of paint exactly matching the shade of white used in 1868. To augment the federal money, Mrs. Boyd and the "Friends" have published a "gifts catalog," a wish list of things needed but not covered by the park service budget. For example, a tax- deductible gift of $16,200 would provide shutters for the 19 small and 26 large windows.

TO DATE, the catalog has produced more than $75,000 in cash donations and $40,000 in donated services, Mrs. Boyd noted proudly. The variety of responses is as impressive as the sums. -The president of Stewart Ironworks in Covington, Ky., recognized the Taft fence as one his firm had built 120 vears ago, telephoned Mrs. Boyd and offered to repair it. - Engineer Thomas J. Black donated ePerr Home - News - CI DAYTON DAILY NEWS Sunday, Sept. 2, 1984 Page 1-F Taft home takes sh: By BENJAMIN KLINE Staff Writer CINCINNATI - Mary Maxine Boyd, superintendent of the William Howard Taft birthplace in Mount Auburn, will never forget how charmed -then shocked - she was when she arrived here to take over the Taft project for the National Park Service in October 1981. "To move up in the park service usually means moving around, so 1 applied when I saw an opening listed at Cincinnati,"Mrs. Boyd said.A.

Washington, D.C., native, she had been working at the Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area in southern California. She was accepted for the Cincinnati job and came here with her husband, Robert, a just-retired school administrator. They drove up the hill to 2038 Auburn Ave. "When I saw the home from a distance, it looked beautiful," she recalled. "The flag was flying. The lawn was mowed. Then we opened the front door" INSIDE, the 1840 house was a gutted shambles. No furniture except for makeshift tables the park rangers had set up. In some rooms, no walls. A leaking roof. Broken ceilings, Cracked plaster. Darkness. "I looked at my husband and he looked at me and I said to myself. "Good Lord, Maxine, what are you doing in Cincinnati?'" the personable superintendent remembered. "Well, now I'm glad I came." Cincinnatians can be glad, too. In three years, Mrs.

Boyd, her park service staff and many local citizens have clasped hands to turn around a costly, bleeding eyesore and point it toward becoming a major tourist attraction by the time the Queen City celebrates its bicentennial in 1988. Occupied by Cincinnati's most famous family from 1851 to 1899, the two-story brick house was the birthplace of the nation's 27th president in 1857, and his only home until he left for Yale University. BY 1930, the year Taft died, the 6.984-square-foot house had been divided into eight seedy apartments. One of the President's sons, the late Charles Phelps Taft II (1897-1983), Ied a local effort to reclaim the property and it was turned over to the government as a national historic site in 1969. The National Park Service statted * the site in 1972 and did various studies. But the only rehabilitation was to stabilize the front foundation and retaining wall.

The feds were spending more than $150,000 a year to study and staff a place hardlyanyone would want to visit. One of the first people Mrs. Bovd met was ranger Sam Witherup, a local native who had been "interpreting" what there was for visitors to see here. He had read so much about Home - News - Classified DAYTON DAILY NEWS Sunday, Sept. 2, 1984 Page 1-F IN IRIO OEUTIUN Mortgage chart, 2 House of the Week, 2 Stamps, 3 Dr. Steincrohn, 3 F Taft home takes shape with loving care By BENJAMIN KLINE Taft project for the National Park Mountain National Recreation Area-in Staff Writer Service in October 1981. southern California. CINCINNATI - Mary Maxine "To move up in the park service She was accepted for the Cincinnati Boyd, superintendent of the William usually means moving around, so I job and came here with her husband.

Howard Taft birthplace in Mount applied when I saw an opening listed Robert, a just-retired school Auburn, will never forget how at Cincinnati," Mrs. Boyd said. A charmed - then shocked - she was Washington, D.C., native, she had been administrator. They drove up the hill to 2038 Auburn Ave. when she arrived here to take over the working at the Santa Monica "When I saw the home from a distance, it looked beautiful," she recalled. "The flag was flying. The lawn was mowed. Then we opened the front door:" INSIDE, the 1840 house was a gutted shambies. No furniture except for makeshift tables the park rangers had set up. In some rooms, no walls. A leaking roof. Broken cellings. Cracked plaster. Darkness. "Ilooked at my husband and he looked at me and I said to myself, Good Lord, Maxine, what are you doing in Cincinnati?!" the personable superintendent remembered.

"Well, now I'm glad I came." Cincinnatians can be glad, too. In three years, Mrs. Boyd, her park service staff and many local citizens have clasped hands to turn around a costly, bleeding eyesore and point it toward becoming a major tourist attraction by the time the Queen City celebrates its bicentennial in 1988. Occupied by Cincinnati's most famous family from 1851 to 1899, the two-story brick house was the birthplace of the nation's 27th president in 1857, and his only home Staff photos by Bill Waugh Original Covington firm will repair iron fence until he left for Yale University. 1,000 hours of his time, or whatever BY 1930, the year Taft died, the time it takes, to design the house's 6,984-square-foot house had been new heating, electrical and air divided into eight seedy apartments. conditioning systems.

One of the President's sons, the late - Ann Mills, a retired hotel worker Charles Phelps Taft II (1897-1983), led on Social Security, has been showing a local effort to reclaim the property up two days a week to answer phones. and it was turned over to the clean artifacts or do office work. government as a national historic site - Warren Hawkinson, an expert on in 1969. antiques, has volunteered to inspect The National Park Service staffed and appraise all the pieces of furniture * the site in 1972 and did various that people offer to donate to the site. studies. But the only rehabilitation (The period 1857-77 is targeted.) was to stabilize the front foundation - Mr. and Mrs. Carson Whiting and retaining wail. The teds were donated $3,000 for a new front door spending more than $150,000 a year to and hardware. study and staff a place hardly anyone - James A.

Moorman, of Cincinnati would want to visit. Plating & Repair Co., Is restoring all One of the first people Mrs. Boyd the warehoused Taft silver, trophies met was ranger Sam Witherup, a local and other metal objects, one piece at a native who had been "interpreting" time. His appraisal aione was worth CULTURAL RESOURCES ROUTE SHEET HISTORY DIVISION - 418 Lasl Edwin C. Bearss Chief Historian Benjamin Levy Senior Historian Barry Mackintosh Bureau Historian Dr. Harry Butowsky Staff Historian James Charleton Historian Carolyn Pitts Ar chitectural Historian Laura Feller Historian Lillian Johnson Secretary Sharon Diggs Clerk-Typist Karen Jennings Clerk-Typist Priscilla Thomas Clerk-Typist UHC COMMENTS 1. FOR YOUR INFORMATION 2. FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND FILE 3. FOR YOUR INFORMATION AND FILE 13 ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Fle: NHL - TAfT, hilliam H.

(Birthplce) Enotino William Howard Taft National Mistoric Site Resource Name lamiltor (County) STATUS: 1. MISSING 2. REMOVED/ DEMOLISHED 3. NHL X 4. TR 5. MRA 6. OVER- SIZED EXPLANATION: Missing Status: Entire Folder ( ); Nomination ( Available on: Microfiche ( ); Optical Disk ( ); Map(s) ( ): Photos () 2. (Cause for removal) 3 Taft, Alphonso, Home (William Howard TaftHame) (NHL Name, if different than NRHP Name) 4. (06000612 (Reference Number[s]) Ohio (State) 7. NPS - UNDOCUMENTED 08/04/2016 (Date form completed) WACC (Completed by) 8. DOE OWNER OBJECTION 9. RESTRICTED / (Date Removed) 01129/1964 (Date Designated) (If multi-state/county TR, state/county where filed and location) (TR or MRA Name) (If multi-state/county MRA, state/county where filed and location) (Location of oversize file) 7.

(Current source of partial documentation) COMMENTS (Target Date) (Where found, or source of replacement) (Date Found/Replaced NATIONAL PARK SERVICE National Register of Historic Places Locator Card -WASO 21 PANOR