For 100 years, Laurel Court was a private residence. Neighbors might pause to peek through a break in the tall hedges or gawk through the gate to see the home’s wide, museum-like granite steps and statues of angels poised on the front lawn. But that was the extent of the public’s interaction with the College Hill mansion.

It was built in 1907 for Peter G. Thomson, founder of the Champion Coated Paper Co., and designed to resemble Louis XV’s Petit Trianon in Versailles, France.

Laurel Court and its 23 acres stayed in the Thomson family until 1947. From 1948 to 1977, the property was owned by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and was a residence for Archbishops McNicholas and Alter. Donald “Buddy” LaRosa then bought it and used it as a headquarters for the LaRosa pizza business until 1991, when he sold it to auctioneer Roger Loth, who lived at the property until 1999.

“Our feeling is this is a historic building that’s meant to be shared,” Judy says.