​OUR MISSION

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The Mission of the Woman's Art Club of Cincinnati Foundation is to stimulate artistic creativity and provide quality education and cultural experiences. 

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​OUR HISTORY

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In 1906, Cincinnati resident Mary Emery, a widow of many means, employed town planner John Nolen to realize her vision in creating the Village of Mariemont. Charles Livingood, Mary Emery’s advisor and manager, was the driving force in the many creations and accomplishments in the new village. Resthaven Farm was not originally part of the Mariemont plan. It was instead a social experiment, conceived by Mary Emery and designed by Hubert Reeves, to build pensioners’ cottages, a demonstration dairy farm, a hospital, and a convalescent home for retired employees of Emery Industries. She called it her Garden of Rest and named the area Resthaven. Several factors, including Mrs. Emery’s death in 1927 and the Great Depression, prevented the ambitious plan from being realized. Only the hospital (Mercy St. Theresa) and The Barn group remain today.

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During the 1930’s, the Lindner Quality Milk Company leased the dairy. The cottage was the creamery, where milk from farmers in the Goshen and Milford areas was processed. The Lindner family business left Mariemont, relocating to Norwood and founding United Dairy Farmers (UDF).

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Over time the land around The Barn became home sites, the cottage a private residence, and The Barn served as the home for the Village of Mariemont’s Tax Office and Maintenance Department. When the Maintenance Department and Tax Office relocated, the future of The Barn was uncertain and demolition was a real possibility.

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In 2007, The Mariemont Preservation Foundation and the Woman’s Art Club of Cincinnati joined forces to save the barn. The Woman’s Art Club of Cincinnati Foundation was created to purchase, renovate, and repurpose the former dairy barn as a cultural arts center. The Woman’s Art Club donated $50,000 to the Foundation for the down payment and the Foundation successfully purchased the property at auction. 

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Over the years we have celebrated the conversion of the original hayloft to a flexible space for classes, workshops, movies, and performances and the addition of an elevator which makes every part of The Barn accessible. In 2008, Carl and Edyth Lindner donated $485,000 to the Foundation for the renovation of the west wing of The Barn (known as the Lindner Family Wing). Phases of historic restoration of the Barn’s exterior were completed through efforts of the Give-A-Shingle campaign and generous personal donations and grants from Thomas J. Emery Memorial Foundation and the Helen G., Henry F., and Louise Tuechter Dornette Foundation, among others. Every year, the Foundation hosts an Annual Campaign to raise funds for The Barn’s continued development. We are immensely grateful for the support of past campaigns that have kept our organization debt free. Thanks to the generosity of the Thomas J. Emery Memorial Fund and the Louise Taft Semple Foundation, we just completed one more section of new cedar shingles that face the gravel lot. We are making progress, but the work continues.

Today The Barn serves as a vibrant community arts center open to all, preserving its link to the history of Mariemont through its sensitive, respectful restoration of Resthaven Barn and our art programs and exhibitions reflect Mary Emery’s life passion. 

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CONTACT

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Visit Us:

6980 Cambridge Ave

Cincinnati, OH 45227 

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Email Us:

info@thebarninmariemont.org

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Call Us:

513-272-3700 

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