Northside lost a beloved neighbor this spring. Ursula Roma — metalworker, illustrator, muralist, and lifelong seeker of beauty in overlooked things — passed away in May at age 62, leaving behind a body of work and a community that adored her.
We were honored when Ursula’s family chose to share pieces of her personal collection with Building Value, and we wanted to take a moment to tell her story before introducing you to the treasures now available in our store.
An Artist Who Never Stopped Looking
Ursula grew up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, where her love of the outdoors and eye for natural detail took root early. She went on to earn her BFA from SUNY Purchase and her MFA from the Hartford Art School, building a career as a graphic designer, illustrator, and fine artist that spanned decades.
Metal became her true passion after she took a welding class and began transforming found materials into figures and sculpture. From there, her work grew into something that shaped the city around her: murals, postcards, benches, billboards, signs, and public sculpture, including the Tiara Bench along the CROWN Pathway at Yeatman’s Cove. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital commissioned sixteen of her large metal flower sculptures for its outdoor courtyard, and her ornamental designs — garden trellises, window guards, balcony railings, business signage — found homes across the region.
Those who knew Ursula describe someone generous, sharp, and genuinely funny, with a whimsical spirit that came through in everything she made. She had a gift for seeing potential in materials most people would walk right past — a philosophy that, fittingly, mirrors exactly what we do here at Building Value every day.
Her Toolkit, Now Available to Our Community
With her family’s blessing, pieces of Ursula’s personal collection have made their way to our store — the raw materials, tools, and curiosities that once passed through her hands and, in many cases, became art themselves.
This isn’t a clearance sale of someone’s belongings. It’s an invitation. Every hand-signed vintage saw, every scrap of hardware, every small trinket carries a bit of the same spirit Ursula brought to her work.
Whether you’re an artist looking to start your own transformation, a collector who wants a piece of Cincinnati creative history, or simply someone who admired Ursula’s work around the city, we hope you’ll stop by and see the collection for yourself. Every piece is individually priced and available in-store at 4040 Spring Grove Ave.
Building Value exists because we believe old things deserve new purpose. Ursula Roma believed that, too.
Thank you, Ursula, for sharing your beautiful soul with the world.
