175 year old Mercantile Library to receive major facelift

Published June 30, 2009 at 12:00 a.m.
Cincinnati’s historic Mercantile Libraryis beginning its first facelift in over one hundred years inpreparation and celebration of the library’s 175th birthday in 2010.

TheMercantile Library was established in 1835 as a membership library foryoung merchants and clerks working in the city and is one of the threeoldest cultural institutions in Cincinnati.  Membership currently costs$45 a year and also guarantees discounts to most of the library’s 80 orso events each year.

Library President, DalePatrick Brown says that the Mercantile Library is one of Cincinnati’soldest treasures and says that we “have an obligation to maintain itshistoric features while, at the same time, making sure we meet theneeds of new generations.”

Brown goes on to liken the work thatwill be done at the Mercantile Library to that of the work that wasdone in the early twentieth century when electric lights were added tothe building.  “The library was the same, but better.”

Cincinnati-based Brashear Bolton, Inc.is the team of architects that drew up the plans and made sure tomaintain the elegant period atmosphere of the library while also addingcontemporary updates like a bigger, modernized restroom; a stage areafor the many events held in the library’s reading room; a new ElizabethNourse Study Center area to house the library’s collection ofsketchbooks and writings of the American Impressionist artist; new,two-story stacks; and an electronic, online catalogue of the collection.

Thelibrary’s 2,000-plus members will also see a freshly painted readingroom with refinished floors and quieter air conditioning.

As aresult of all this work the library will close its reading room doorsbeginning July 1 until the work is complete.  The library will alsomaintain limited services during this time and will have staff operatefrom the library’s lecture hall on the 12th floor.

Events hostedby the Mercantile Library will be moved to the 12th floor lecture hallas well, with larger events being held off-site.

The last timemajor improvements were made to the space was in 1904 when theMercantile Library located there.  At that time, the library obtained a10,000-year lease that is believed to have been negotiated by AlphosoTaft, father of President William Howard Taft.

The $850,000worth of improvements will look to preserve the Machine Age feel of thespace that was built by developers Thomas Emery’s Sons located at 414Walnut Street downtown.

Following completion in mid-November theMercantile Library is planning an official unveiling of the refurbishedspace at the library’s annual meeting in January 2010.

Writer: Randy Simes
Source: Albert Pyle, executive director, Mercantile Library; Nancy Nolan, principal, Nolan Kerr Artists
Photography by Amber Kersley

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