The Mercantile Library Building and the Formica Building have rich histories that are deeply intertwined with Cincinnati’s architectural and cultural heritage. The Mercantile Library was originally established in 1835 by a group of young men who pooled their resources to collect books, art, and host prominent speakers and authors. Over the years, the library has welcomed renowned figures such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Herman Melville, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. As the collection grew to nearly 2,000 books, the need for a dedicated space led to the construction of the Mercantile Library Building at 414 Walnut Street in 1904. The building was designed by Joseph G. Steinkamp & Brother and was developed by Thomas Emery Sons, who contributed to the development of several skyscrapers in Downtown Cincinnati during the early 20th century. The building featured commercial space on the first floor and office space on the floors above. The 11th and a portion of the 12th floor were custom designed to house the Mercantile Library.

The institution has a perpetually renewable 10,000-year lease issued by Cincinnati College, thanks to the support provided by the men of the Mercantile Library Association after the college’s structure burned in 1845. The Mercantile Library Building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.

The Formica Building, located at 120 East Fourth Street, along with the connected Crystal Arcade and Contemporary Arts Center at 255 East Fifth Street, were developed by Towne Properties and designed by Harry Weese & Associates of Chicago, a firm renowned for designing the Metro stations in Washington, DC. Completed in 1970, the Formica Building was constructed with travertine, glass, and bronze, showcasing modern, Miesian, and post-modern elements. The design incorporated elements from the neighboring Mercantile Library Building, such as eliminating the band of travertine between the 11th and 12th floors to mimic the double-height library. The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) was housed in the Formica Building from 1970 to 2003, before moving into the newly constructed Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in the spring of 2003.

Today, the Formica Building holds the distinction of being the most recently constructed building in Cincinnati to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As both the Mercantile Library Building and the Formica Building undergo an adaptive reuse transformation, their storied pasts will contribute to the revitalization of Cincinnati’s urban core and serve as a testament to the city’s architectural and cultural legacy.

Findlay Parkside is located in the Over-the-Rhine (OTR) neighborhood in Cincinnati, OH, one of the largest and most intact urban historic districts in the United States. OTR lies just north of the Central Business District in Downtown Cincinnati, boasting low-rise Greek Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne brick buildings, primarily constructed by German immigrants in the mid-1800s. Among the neighborhood’s most notable attractions is the Findlay Market, the oldest and only surviving municipal market house in Cincinnati, which operates year-round and houses over three dozen indoor merchants offering a wide array of goods.

Through the efforts of revitalization experts like The Model Group and 3CDC, OTR has become a thriving hub of activity, home to an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, bars, and other businesses that cater to both residents and visitors alike.

Nestled within this vibrant and historically rich neighborhood, the Findlay Parkside project consists of nine distinct historic mixed-use buildings totaling 47,000 square feet. In their previous incarnations, these buildings served various functions and businesses, including an undertaker, office, chapel, livery, and garage. As the Findlay Parkside project revitalizes and repurposes these nine underutilized historic buildings, it will preserve their unique character, create new affordable residential opportunities, and support a growing community of businesses.

This project is facilitating the long-awaited reunion of the iconic Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati with its original home, the Emery Theater. Historic Emery Theater was constructed in 1911 in Cincinnati’s “Over-the-Rhine” neighborhood. Commissioned by Mary Emery and built by the famous architecture firm Samuel Hannaford & Sons, the large theater was designed to hold thousands of patrons while astonishing each of them with an unobstructed view and exceptional acoustics. It was built using the principle of the “isacoustic curve,” meaning the room sloped upward from front to back, an ideal configuration for sending sound effortlessly throughout. It also featured two large balconies, both of which seemed to float above the main floor, in a method of theater construction that was new in the early 19th century. Originally part of the Ohio Mechanics Institute trade school, the Emery Theater soon hosted world-renowned artists like George Gershwin and John Philip Sousa, as well as influential dignitaries like Eleanor Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT), founded in 1919, is the oldest professional children’s theatre in the nation, spending more than a century entertaining youth and inspiring them in the art of theatre. Originally owned and operated by Cincinnati’s Junior League, TCT launched as an independent nonprofit in 1949 with a mission to educate, entertain, and engage audiences of all ages through professional theatrical productions and arts education programming. TCT called the historic Emery Theater home from their incorporation as an independent nonprofit until 1969, when they relocated to downtown Cincinnati’s Taft Theatre.

In the years after losing the patronage of The Children’s Theatre and The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Emery fell deeper into disrepair, lying dormant for many years while TCT was forced to limit their performance days to only 40 a year at their new location in the Taft Theatre. The decision was made by TCT to return home to the historic Emery Theater and they launched a campaign to undertake a major renovation in a way that pays homage to the past while reimagining it for the future.