Walnut Hills United Presbyterian Church (1880s-2003)

This church, or rather the tower that remains of it, was the site of two congregations that merged in 1879 -- that of the 1819 church organized by Rev. James Kemper, owner of the former Walnut Hill farm that became today's neighborhood, and the church operating on Lane Theological Seminary's campus, formerly situated just northeast of this location. Many members of the Kemper family succeeded their elders in the pulpit. Built in the 1880s, the structure (designed by renowned Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford) was intact until 2003.

Home to an active church congregation throughout most of the 20th century, the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Efforts to restore and utilize the historic structure saw significant support, but this alone was not enough to save the church. In 2003, after efforts to find a buyer who would restore the building, the neighboring funeral home began demolition to extend its parking lot. Preservationists were able to halt the destruction of the tower by purchasing that portion of the former church building and agreeing to stabilize and maintain it.