The Mercantile Library
The Mercantile Library
5
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience The Mercantile Library and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Central Business District
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
837 within 5 kms
Attractions
309 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
5.0
13 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
2
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
TRAVELWITHFAF
CINCINNATI92 contributions
Nov 2011 • Friends
The Mercantile Library, a membership library at 414 Walnut Street Cincinnati, OH. located on the 11th and 12th floor of the MERCANTILE building, receives no tax support. It is a non-profit librtary supported by annual subscriptions and membership is affordable and opened to anyone without restrictions. The library is celebrating it's 175 years of operation after being organized in 1835, as one of the oldest cultural institutions in this gendre.
The Mercantile Library recently completed a very successful restoration and remodel of the facility, funded by accumulated annual subscriptions, gifts (monetary and in kind),and income from endowments. This update will hopefully last another 175 years.
The subscription membership is a who's who of the movers and shakers of the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. Yet, it is open and used by the general public without restrictions.
In addition to the volumns of books, periodicals, research documents, tapes, discs,and other educational and cultural sources, this facility is a delightful place to curl up in a overstuffed leather chair located in a corner and throughout the library to rest and relax or to partake in a refreshment.
The staff is very friendly, and accomodating.
There are many lectures, reciteals, interest groups, and lunch time discussions offered through out the year on a regular basis. At lunch time, box lunches are available with a reservation for the event.
Although now 175 years old, the Mercantile Library is alive, well and very vibrant!!!!!
For more information visit the web site, http://www.mercantilelibrary.com
The Mercantile Library recently completed a very successful restoration and remodel of the facility, funded by accumulated annual subscriptions, gifts (monetary and in kind),and income from endowments. This update will hopefully last another 175 years.
The subscription membership is a who's who of the movers and shakers of the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. Yet, it is open and used by the general public without restrictions.
In addition to the volumns of books, periodicals, research documents, tapes, discs,and other educational and cultural sources, this facility is a delightful place to curl up in a overstuffed leather chair located in a corner and throughout the library to rest and relax or to partake in a refreshment.
The staff is very friendly, and accomodating.
There are many lectures, reciteals, interest groups, and lunch time discussions offered through out the year on a regular basis. At lunch time, box lunches are available with a reservation for the event.
Although now 175 years old, the Mercantile Library is alive, well and very vibrant!!!!!
For more information visit the web site, http://www.mercantilelibrary.com
Written 1 December 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
msc196
Cincinnati, OH67 contributions
Aug 2017
The Mercantile Library is a jewel in downtown Cincinnati. The architecture, the collections, the staff, the programs, and the volunteers are all wonderful. It is simply a lovely, quiet place to listen to an interesting presentation, attend a book discussion, meet with a group or simply enjoy a quiet hour or two. Memberships are not expensive and definitely worth the money.
Written 23 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Titan27
Nashville, TN100 contributions
June 2016 • Solo
I was so glad that i was able to wander around this library! It was a steamy hot day in Cincinnati and I was headed back to the hotel after a disappointing day of touring the city when I noticed the name of this building and remembered it from researching the city. They were very nice when I asked if I could look around. If you start looking at the books on the shelves you will find some really interesting finds. They also have some sculptures as well as books and other items in display curios - and some gorgeous pieces of furniture. I could have stayed here for hours but didn't want to overstay my welcome since it is a private library. Totally redeemed the day for me, Thank You to The Mercantile Library!
Written 28 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hilolp
Louisville, KY11 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
My husband and I stopped here because I love old books and libraries. The Mercantile Library did not disappoint. Found some great older editions of Shakespeare, The Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, and many other loved books. It seems they have a great events calendar and if we were going to be in town for more than a day, we would have loved to stay for one.
Written 24 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Redwing
Cincinnati, OH973 contributions
Feb 2017 • Couples
Visited The Mercantile Library located on Walnut st. The hours are Monday through Friday 9 to 5:30 pm and Saturday 10 to 3 pm It's on the 11th floor . When you first walk in it smells very musty . They have beautiful hard woods floors with oriental rugs . There are lots of cozy spots to sit with comfy leather couches or chairs . It's very quiet being a library and there were only 4 people in the place. You get feeling of being a museum with the antiques and marble busts . This is a neat place to come when your downtown.
Written 18 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Teammilitello
Des Moines, IA2,792 contributions
Nov 2020 • Family
The building was closed on the day after Thanksgiving when we stopped. (No mention of that on the website.). From pictures I’ve seen of this place, it looks like a gem though.
Written 27 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Road_to_paradise
Cincinnati, OH125 contributions
I've attended some world-class recitals here, of serious music from different periods and styles. It may be Cincinnati's best kept secret, but the library has been host to some amazing productions. Their Christmas Concert, which I think was created by WGUC, offered some fabulous music and musicians.
Written 13 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ChiChiinEurope
Cincinnati, OH56 contributions
June 2012 • Friends
This hidden treasure trove is worth the visit, if only to see what a beautiful collection of the truly interesting books of the world would look like. The real plus here, though, is the level of thought and commitment that go into the book clubs and programs that the library offers. If you are a bibliophile you will be in book-heaven,
Written 6 June 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sightsee200237
13 contributions
July 2019
Such a neat building full of history! You could explore for hours in this book lovers nook of the city. Love looking through the collections of books in such a sophisticated environment. Also lots of places to sit and read. Everyone was friendly during our visit.
Written 7 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PilatesProf
Abingdon, Virginia, United States121 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
What a fabulous, old, historic library. It's not entirely obvious as it occupies space in a historic downtown building but once you exit the elevator, I felt the reverence you feel when entering the Library of Congress. Reading tables, desks, stacks, busts of famous folks, a gorgeous Steinway and a large selection of periodicals can keep you there a long time.
Written 23 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing