Jacob Hoffner, (1799-1894), purchased the Hotel The Golden Lamb at Blue Rock Street and Hamilton Avenue in 1836. The tavern had been built in 1811 by Ezekiel Hutchinson, and the purchase included the tavern plus 50 acres of farmland. Hoffner lived in Mount Healthy and closely watched the legal squabble between the Hutchinson and David Cummins, the tannery owner across Hamilton Avenue from the Hutchinson's, over a shared natural spring. Both Cummins and Hutchinson lost their properties in foreclosure. Hoffner renovated The Golden Lamb into a fantastic estate shown here in about 1900 with six acres of formal gardens that included a greenhouse with bronze griffins, a pool, and more than two dozen statues collected during his travels in Europe. When the property was razed after Hofner's death, the lions Mick and Mack at the entrance to his estate were donated to the University of Cincinnati, where they guard McMicken Hall, and the stone eagles at the back entrance to his mansion were donated to Eden Park.