Pfleger Family Houses

The Pfleger Family Houses are a pair of adjacent historic residences in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Built in the Queen Anne style in the late nineteenth century,^[1] they were the homes of multiple members of the locally prominent Pfleger family. An immigrant from Germany, Julius Pfleger built the two houses; with his wife Catharine, he inhabited the western house, while the eastern house was the home of their son Edward and his family.^[2]

The Pfleger family gained prominence in Cincinnati's business community because of their place in the shoe industry. As president of Guiss, Pfleger, and Company, Julius oversaw a firm that sold both shoes and other leather products, and his position was inherited by Edward after the former's death.^[2]

Both houses have been seen as historically significant because of their status as examples of the period's transition between architectural styles: although both were clearly built in the Queen Anne style, they bear influences of the Neoclassical style that succeeded the Queen Anne as the premier style of the day.^[2] Built of brick with stone foundations,^[3] the houses feature such distinctive architectural elements as circular turrets, prominent porches, and Neoclassical fenestration. Contributing to their unique status is their method of construction: while adjacent houses were frequently built by the same contractors, it is very rare for adjacent houses to be constructed intentionally as a pair, as were the Pfleger houses.^[2]

Early in 1980, the Pfleger Family Houses were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places, qualifying because of their well-preserved historic architecture.^[1]

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