The lovely Robin was kind and loving enough to accompany me last night to the Books by the Banks authors' reception at the
Mercantile Library in downtown Cincinnati. I have long wanted to see this historic library, which dates to 1835 (though its current location is not the original location).
Wow. One of the first things to catch our eye was the spiral staircase. We asked what was up there, and on being told, we ventured up.
It leads to the conference room on the twelfth floor of the building. Awesome.
The Mercantile Library is a membership library (meaning it is open to members, or subscribers). Its name refers not to the content of its collection but to the forty-five merchants and clerks who founded it on April 18, 1835.
The building, at 414 Walnut Street, is the fourth structure on the site. The space on the eleventh and twelfth floors was designed for the Library in 1903; the building was completed in 1908. Many of the shelves, desks and chairs currently in the Library date back to previous buildings.
Oh, and the authors' reception was a lovely affair, offering delicious appetizers and drinks, an award ceremony, and hobnobbing with authors and other guests. We didn't hob. Nor did we nob. But we had a great time, and I'm so glad to have seen this amazing, historic library.
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