Located on Shillito Place in the city's downtown,[1] it was built for a club of the same name.
Founded in 1853 by a group of Cincinnati elites, including Rutherford B. Hayes, the society chose to erect a new headquarters in 1902; at the time of its completion, this four-story building was hailed as one of the country's best athletic facilities, second only to the gymnasium at Columbia University in New York City.
[2] A Second Renaissance Revival building designed by John Scudder Adkins of the firm Werner and Adkins,[1] the building is built of brick with stone and metal elements.
[3] Among these elements are rusticated stone courses, a molded balustrade, and trimmed windows.
[2] In recognition of its distinctive and historically significant architecture, the club building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.