History of the Carriage House
Alexander McDonald
Alexander McDonald Mansion
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The Carriage House occupies a unique setting opposite the School on what was once the palatial estate of Alexander McDonald, a Scottish native, early Cincinnati coal oil magnate and avid supporter of local arts and culture who served as Vice President of the Cincinnati Art Museum, a Director of the College of Music, and as a Director of the May Festival Association.
Designed by famed Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford – whose masterworks include Music Hall and Cincinnati City Hall – the 35-room estate was completed in the 1880s. The Carriage House provided quarters for the horses and the carriages of the estate on its ground level, along with a cistern and laundry for the mansion. The upper floor offered storage of feed and supplies, as well as living quarters for the staff of the estate.
The mansion was razed in the 1960s to accommodate construction of the former Clifton School south annex, which was itself demolished in 2006 to make way for the new Fairview German Language School. Throughout all this change, however, the Carriage House has remained intact, serving as a storage facility for grounds maintenance equipment and supplies belonging to the schools. Its survival is not only a tribute to its remarkable stone construction, but also an asset to the entire Cincinnati region which will benefit from its rebirth.
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