Saturday, December 29, 2012

The Pogue's of Park Avenue

Cincinnati's Park Avenue in East Walnut Hills was once a prestigious place to live. In the mid 1800's, well-to-do families made the move out of the Cincinnati basin to their mansions on the hills.

This story is the same for Henry Pogue. He was born May 5, 1829  in County Cavan, Ireland and emigrated to the United States in 1850 and arrived in Cincinnati in 1851, working as a clerk in a dry goods store, along with his brothers Samuel, Thomas and William. By 1855, Henry became part owner of the Pogue and Jones dry good store on Fifth Street.

In 1865, Henry Pogue bought the business of his future father-in-law, John Crawford, a dry goods store on Fifth Street and brought his brother, Samuel into the business. H & S Pogue was born. Brothers Thomas and William also joined this family business. The store changed locations in 1878 to Fourth Street near Race.
1869 Titus Map
The house on Park Avenue was purchased by H & S Pogue in 1871 from David J. Williams, who appears to have built this home around 1865.
1870 Census showing neighbors Joseph Rhodes, David Williams and Hugh Kemper
The Cincinnati Daily Enquirer (1852-1872); May 12, 1871;
On October 24, 1878, Henry Pogue married Mary Isabella Crawford in Fort Hamilton, New York, where her family had moved after Henry purchased her father's business. They returned to Cincinnati and lived in the home on Park Avenue.
1880 Census
Henry and Mary had eight children, two whom died in infancy. Henry died in 1903 and the business passed onto his brother and his sons. They continued to build a prosperous business and a new building was built in 1916 at the corner of Race and Fourth Street. The department store continued operations into the 1980's. More information on the store can be found on this wonderful blog - The Department Store Museum

Henry Pogue
Source
Mary Isabella Crawford Pogue
 Mary Isabella Crawford Pogue passed away in 1934 and the family is buried at Spring Grove Cemetery. The home had transferred ownership some years prior to their daughter, Natalie Pogue Gates, who married John L. Gates. The home remained in the Gates family until John's death in 1973. John L. Gates was the owner of the Precision Equipment Company, a radio receiving manufacturer, and he built and operated one of the first radio stations in Cincinnati. He later sold this station to the Crosley Radio Corporation.

The home is currently the offices of Vivian Llambi & Associates and was featured as part of the Cincinnati Preservation Association's Walnut Hills House Tour in 2010. The restoration won an award from CPA in 2009.
Source
The following interior detail pictures were taken by the Cincinnati Preservation Association and donated to the DAAP program at the University of Cincinnati:









One more curious side note - The home just to the south, at 2306 Park Avenue, was built in 1900 for Henry and Mary's daughter, Blanche, who lived there with her husband, William Walker Smith and they named the home "The Columns". Natalie Pogue Gates and John Gates also lived in this home in the 1920's before moving to the "big house" next door.
2306 Park Ave
Hamilton County Auditor 2005

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