Located along Greendale Avenue in that city's Clifton neighborhood,[1] it is a two-and-a-half-story building constructed primarily in the Queen Anne style of architecture.

[2]: 5 In 1892, Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad executive George Balch moved to Clifton.

Four years later, deciding to construct a house for himself, he chose renowned Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford.

[3] Balch was one of many Clifton residents to commission designs from Hannaford: having built a reputation as one of Cincinnati's premier Gilded Age architects, Hannaford had designed large numbers of houses for the residents of upscale neighborhoods such as Clifton.

[2]: 11 Built of brick and stucco on a stone foundation, the Balch House is covered by a slate roof.