Woman's Art Club Cultural Center facts for kids

The Woman's Art Club Cultural Center, often called "The Barn", is a special place for art and culture. It is located in Mariemont, Ohio. The Woman's Art Club of Cincinnati Foundation runs this center.

This center offers many fun activities. You can see art shows, take art classes, listen to interesting talks, and join social events. They even have a summer art camp! Inside, there is a gallery for art, four art studios, two classrooms, and a kitchen.

What is "The Barn"?

The building we now call "The Barn" has a long history. It was built in 1924 and was first known as the Resthaven Barn. It was a creamery, a place where milk products were made. This was even before the Village of Mariemont was fully planned. The Barn was part of a big 26-acre farm that also had a health center.

Mary Emery, who helped start Mariemont, wanted to create a nice place for retired workers from Emery Industries. The farm had horse stables, cattle pens, a hen house, and a plant nursery. This nursery even had trees and bushes from Mount Vernon! Today, only The Barn and the gardener's small house are left from that original farm.

The Barn's Journey to an Art Center

In 1940, the Thomas J Emery Memorial decided to stop running the farm. The Barn was then given to the Village of Mariemont. The Village used it mainly to store equipment for their Maintenance Department. Even though it was used for storage, The Barn was recognized as an important historical building in 1979. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

By 2005, the Village's Maintenance Department moved out. This left The Barn empty, and no one was sure what would happen to it. The Village asked residents what they thought. Most people said they did not want The Barn torn down. But fixing it up would cost a lot of money, which made it hard for anyone to buy it.

In October 2006, the Village decided to sell The Barn. The Woman's Art Club of Cincinnati offered $50,000 for it. Their offer was accepted in April 2007. The Barn is very large, about 10,000 square feet. The Art Club saw it as a perfect place for an art center. It had enough room for classes and a permanent art gallery. Plus, they could save this important historical building.

The Woman's Art Club started in 1892 but had never had its own permanent home. They were determined to restore The Barn while keeping its original look and details. They hired an architect named John Grier. He was an expert in saving old buildings. With a big gift from Carl Linder, Jr., and other donations, the first part of the renovation was finished. This included a large classroom, a small studio, and a modern art gallery.

The building was then officially named the Woman's Art Club Cultural Center. More money was given through the Ohio Capital Spending Bill and the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission. This helped them finish the second part of the renovation, making the first floor of The Barn fully usable.

Further Reading

• Caldwell, Will and Marty Barlett. “The Resthaven Barn: Then and Now”, Mariemont Town Crier, Mariemont, July 1991.
• Kupferle, Claire. “Resthaven Colony: Mary Emery’s Social Experiment”, Mariemont Town Crier, Mariemont, April 2006.
• McDonald, Jane. “MPF Holds Gala in Historic Resthaven Barn”, Mariemont Town Crier, Mariemont, March 2004.
• Sullivan, Kimberly. “Old barn- useless eyesore or treasure?”, Eastern Hills Journal, Cincinnati, June 1993.