Loveland Museum

The museum building was built circa 1862 as the home of Dr. John S. Law, father of Loveland's first mayor. It is Italianate - a popular architectural style in the Victorian era. The estate originally contained 97 acres. The spectacular view of the Scenic Little Miami River may have prompted the name "Bonaventure", which means good fortune. In early 1900 the estate was subdivided by Harvey Hubbell. The Cincinnati Automobile Club purchased the building in 1917 and extensively remodeled it for use as an office and restaurant. Dr. Frank Lever, a popular Loveland physician, bought the house in 1926 and he and his family lived here until 1959. The American Legion purchased the house and did further remodeling including the closing of the northern section of the verandah, adding a room now used in the museum as the Stanton Brock Gallery. A gift from C. Roger Nisbet enabled the Greater Loveland Historical Society to buy it in 1982. The museum was opened to the public on July 7, 1984.