As the author of the Victorian Antiquities and Design Blog aptly pointed out in a post published today, the Cincinnati preservation community “…could count the day as one for the "win' column, a rare occasion when a house is saved from certain destruction.”

The house in question was a massive (7,870 square feet), Jacobean Revival mansion in the Avondale neighborhood. Some time ago, the blog learned that the house was going to be stripped of many its architectural features, which were to be sold at auction this weekend. E-mails were made to the auction house in an effort to ensure that the property owner was aware that such action would have serious effects, including a substantial reduction in the value of the house for sale to a preservation-minded purchaser.

In an interesting series of posts, the blog expanded its review into an interesting look at the issue of architectural salvage, the role of auction companies in such matters, as well as an examination of the types of renovations proposed for the property post-sale. Over time, the matter also came to the attention of the Cincinnati Preservation Association and our friends at Building Cincinnati, who penned this interesting article yesterday about the situation.

As noted above, the auction in question has been can celled at the last minute. As today’s entry points out, it’s a small “blip” of a victory set against a gigantic struggle -- one exacerbated by the current economy, Ohio’s foreclosure crisis, and the tendency of owners to believe the siren songs of contractors who may have limited practical experience or expertise in the renovation of period buildings.