Ormsby Place

Sometimes, a namesake can be a bit of a mystery.  

The property on which Ormsby Place sits was purchased by Rule Properties, Inc. in 1942, to establish the Rule Subdivision. The property was then sold to Loving Builders, Inc. in 1945 which built five homes and established a new street, called Ormsby Place.   

Lot 1 (now 1127 Ormsby Place) in the Rule Subdivision was sold to Hazel Hall in 1946. Hazel was the second wife of Ormsby Snyder Hall (1895–1986), and the latter was secretary for Rule Properties, Inc. in 1942 when the property was first purchased for development. Hence the street’s namesake!    

Lot 5 of the Rule Subdivision (now 1105 Lincoln) fronts Lincoln Road rather than Ormsby Place. 

Residents of the Rule Subdivision have included John E. Leach and the Cincione family. Leach (1939–2020) and his wife Mary owned 1105 Lincoln from 1973 to 1996. Leach was a renowned orthopedic and sports medicine specialist who held a practice in Columbus for over three decades. Matt Cincione is mayor of Marble Cliff (2020-Present). His sister Theresa Cincione is a nationally-renowned opera singer; Theresa's story is a stop on the Inspiring Women tour on this app.

Today, the subdivision is simply known as Ormsby Place (the Rule Subdivision moniker having been lost to history). The original Cape Cod homes have seen various additions and modifications since the 1940s. Yet Ormsby Place retains the tranquil and neighborly character envisioned when developed. 

1945 plat of the “Rule Subdivision” submitted by Loving Builders, Inc. shows five lots.

Eventual Rule Subdivision residents John E. Leach and Mary (Rader) Leach had been high school sweethearts and voted “Girl and Boy Most Likely to Succeed” and “Cutest Couple” in their 1957 Ironton High School yearbook in southern Ohio.  

Ormsby Place land was originally part of the “Country Club Addition” to the nearby (now defunct) Arlington Country Club in Marble Cliff. Rule Properties bought the land from owner and newly-widowed Helen H. Lindenberg (b. 1873 – d. 1966) in 1942. Helen and her husband Theodore (b. 1872 - d. 1941) were the original owner of the stunning hacienda-style mansion at 1087 Lincoln Road (pictured above) and much of the surrounding property. The Lindenberg’s mansion was designed by Frank Packard (namesake for The Packard stop on this tour). 

Theodore, a business executive, had an avid interest in motion picture technology; he opened the Bexley Theater and managed the Grandview Theater. He is pictured above in the projection room of the Grandview Theatre, circa 1933, with his patented Lindenberg Sound System.