2938 GOLDEN AVE. - THE KOTTIG HOMESTEAD

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The house on the right shown above was home to the Kottig Family from 1891 to 1978. Immediately to its right (not shown) was the Sieber Family home. The Sieber's and Kottig's friendship started years earlier in the small town of Epe, Germany where they were born and raised. Sometime in the early 1880's, both families decided to leave their homeland behind and travel together to America to find a better life. At first, the families lived together in a house thy rented in the East End of Cincinnati. They worked hard, saved their money and eventually were able to buy land "up on the hill" and build homes next to one another.

Pictured above is the site where the Kottig House once stood. According to the original plat, the property was purchased on August 8, 1891 by George Kottig I for $420.00. It has been said that the construction cost of the 20 ft. x 40 ft. "shotgun" style structure itself was around $1,000.00. In 1978, the house was sold out of the family for $72,000. In the early 2000's, the property was purchased by the adjacent property for $775,000.00. Some considerable appreciation to say the least. The house has since been razed. However, both the driveway and garage that Uncle George Kottig II built (right side of photo) still remain.

The stunning view of the Ohio River Valley at Larz Anderson Park (once known as "Nanny Goat Hill") pictured above could also be seen from the Kottig Family home just across the street on Golden Ave. However, according to Cecelia (Kottig) Corcoran, the view was not even the slightest consideration when her father George Kottig I bought the land and built the family home there in 1891. Rather his intent was to escape the spring floods that plagued the family while living in the bottoms on Eastern Ave. This was well before the Army Corp of Engineers built a series of locks and dams designed to control flooding on the  Ohio River.