414 Walnut St., Downtown
The Mercantile Library located on the 11th and 12th floors of a downtown office
building is Cincinnatis own Room of Requirement (for those who arent
Harry
Potter fans, basically its just an extraordinarily cool, secret space). Open since 1835,
this membership library (one of only a two-dozenish left in the U.S.) is home to more
than 80,000 books, dynamic lecture series Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ray Bradbury,
Tom Wolfe, Julia Child are just a handful of names who have spoken here
concerts, yoga classes and cocktail hours. While you have to be a member to check
out books, the public is welcome to wander the stacks, attend events and marvel at
the luddite luxury of this classic club.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger