History · Mariemont

Mariemont’s historic district, a National Historic Landmark, takes in 1,010 buildings

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Village of Mariemont, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 1,190 buildings between them. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1898 on, and the census since 1950.

3on the National Register

37%homes built before 1940

17old photos & papers

1famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Mariemont’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

About Mariemont’s history

How historic is Mariemont?

A⁺

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Mariemont’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mariemont is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 993 in Ohio. All 2 inputs put Mariemont near the top nationally; its National Register listings ranks highest.

A⁺

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mariemont’s overall grade.

Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194036.8% of homes (±6.7) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%A National Register3 listings, 1,191 historic buildings, 3,428 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4A⁺

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the top 1%

NewerOlder

Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)#1 of 993

Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Mariemont’s 3,428 sits above most of its state (100% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 1,191 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.7 points).

Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Mariemont’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Village of Mariemont, a National Historic Landmark, takes in 1,010 historic buildings.A town in old photos17 old photos, postcards and papers.A National Historic Landmark3 places on the National Register, including Village of Mariemont, a National Historic Landmark.Old housesHalf of Mariemont’s homes were built before 1945.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

3 listings protect 1,191 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed

National Historic Landmark

Village of Mariemont

historic buildings protected

1,191

each building in a district counts

first listed

1975

Eliphalet Ferris House

BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Tudor2

Early Republic1

Federal1

Tudor Revival1

Colonial Revival1

Italian Renaissance Revival1

★ Landmark

Village of MariemontEarly Republic

Eliphalet Ferris HouseTudor · Built 1802

Mariemont Historic DistrictEnglish -Norman

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

By decade

Mariemont, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s17 items

1935Houses

1935Recreation building

1935Model house

1935Untitled photo, possibly related to: Houses

Untitled photo, possibly related to: Recreation building

1935Untitled photo, possibly related to: Recreation build…

1935Untitled photo, possibly related to: Model house

1940s–1990snothing yet

Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Add from your album

The story

How Mariemont came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Mariemont.

Read it all →

Madisonville site, the remains of a Fort Ancient village abandoned before Europeans settled in the area in 1786, is located nearby. There is also a pioneer cemetery adjacent to the Mariemont Community Church.

Mariemont was founded by Mary Emery and planned by John Nolen and 25 leading American architects. Emery and other dignitaries broke ground on April 23, 1923. Emery had spent around seven million dollars of her own money to purchase the land that would become Mariemont. Her vision was of a planned community reminiscent of an English garden city that would welcome people of differing economic backgrounds, with a mix of single-family homes and affordable low-rise apartments.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Mariemont, 1802 to 2007

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1802BuiltEliphalet Ferris House is built
1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
20th century
1935In the archiveHouses
1953Born hereBarry Bonnell is born here
21st century
2007LandmarkVillage of Mariemont named a National Historic Landmark

On the map

Mariemont on the map, 1898 to 1914

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mariemont. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

1898East Cincinnati sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Mariemont.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Retake this viewHouses, 1935

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Mariemont’s page.

Retake this view · +15

People over time

Mariemont, census by census

Between 3,118 and 4,204 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Mariemont’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map

Clare

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Mariemont’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewHouses: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Columbia TownshipIts storyB⁺The Village of Indian Hill6 historic placesC⁺Fairfax1 historic placeA PlainvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Anderson Township5 historic placesB Cincinnati287 historic placesA⁺Madison PlaceIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Mariemont’s history

How does Mariemont rank for history?

Mariemont is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 993 in Ohio. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Mariemont?

Three places: the Village of Mariemont (listed 2007), the Eliphalet Ferris House (1975) and the Mariemont Historic District (1979).

How old are the homes in Mariemont?

37% of Mariemont’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1945.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Start a conversation

Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From the Library of Congress (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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