Fall Forum Celebrates John Nolen Community

On Friday, October 13, the Cincinnati Preservation Foundation, in partnership with The Mariemont Preservation Foundation’s Millard F. Rogers Jr. Lecture Series, held its 28th Annual Fall Forum. The event featured a presentation by Dr. Bruce Stephenson, looking back at John Nolen as the pioneering American planner and landscape architect who designed the Village of Mariemont in 1923.

Mariemont Town Crier Bob Keyes delivered the following opening proclamation:

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!

Welcome to this, the 28th Annual Fall Forum of the Cincinnati Preservation Association, which this year is occurring in partnership with the Mariemont Preservation Foundation’s Millard F. Rogers Jr. Lecture Series.

We are honored this day to have with us Dr. Bruce Stephenson, city planner extraordinaire and recipient of the John Nolen Medal.

Today, we will be treated to Dr. Stephenson’s presentation, Timeless Exemplar: Why John Nolen’s Mariemont Plan Still Informs Sustainability. Reflecting on this title makes one think of Mariemont’s founder, Mary Emery, who referred to her model community as a National Exemplar of practical urban planning, a name later adopted by the wonderful local restaurant.

In 2007, the Village of Mariemont was designated a National Historic Landmark.

In 2008, due to Mariemont’s "unique cont'd on next page

MPF Host Fall Forum (from previous page) character, compact and walkable design, and strong citizen participation and engagement," the American Planning Association designated Mariemont a "Great Neighborhood."

You may recall Garrison Keillor closing his stories of Lake Wobegon with:

“That's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average."

Compare this with Mary Emery’s words in the first issue of The Mariemont Company newspaper, “The Mariemont Messenger,” dated March 19, 1926:

“Is the sun a little brighter, there in Mariemont? Is the air a little fresher? Is your home a little sweeter? Is your housework somewhat easier? And the children? Do you feel safer about them? Are their faces a bit ruddier, are their legs a little sturdier? Do they laugh and play a lot louder in Mariemont? Then I am content.”

Or course, the fundamental difference between Lake Wobegon and Mariemont is that Mariemont flowed from Mary Emery’s imagination to become a real place.

Mary Emery valued the virtues of truth, goodness, and beauty, which undergirded her vision of the future and serves as the foundation for the future of all generations.

In 1925, the Mariemont Bugle proclaimed, “Mariemont sets the pace and shows what can be done, and from there on it is up to the individual.”

We give great thanks to John Nolen for helping to create our unique town.

And we thank Dr. Stephenson for helping us to better understand the enduring value of John Nolen’s Plan for Mariemont.

God bless the United States of America

Our sovereign state of Ohio

Our Village of Mariemont and our City of Cincinnati,

Our Mayors and other governmental leaders,

The brave men and women of our police and fire departments,

The members of the Cincinnati

Preservation Association and the Mariemont Preservation Foundation

The many citizens of our communities

Answers from puzzle on page 12