I first found Bella Vista Street in 2014 and was instantly struck by the pleasantness of this lane off of Reading Road. When my family and I were fortunate enough to buy a newly renovated home there two years later, I found that the sense of neighborhood and community was equal to the architectural charms and wondered — ‘How do we preserve this for another generation? How do we ensure that in 90 years the street we see today is still here?’

I found The Office of The Urban Conservator for the City of Cincinnati, The Historic Conservation Board for Cincinnati and began to learn about the process of protecting historic assets through zoning and historic designation. When I approached neighbors about whether we would like to take affirmative collective action to protect the architectural integrity of the street, the answer was a resounding, “Yes.”

The historic designation process is long, a bit tedious and this blog will detail the journey.