M ay 2 0 1 7 • M a r i e m o n t, O h i o • Vo l u m e X L I , N o .
By Elizabeth Wood
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A Tour of Mariemont’s Best Playhouses
To celebrate summer’s arrival, we searched the neighborhood for some of Mariemont’s most unique and adorable playhouses. Here’s a sampling of what we found:
The Dorn Family: Pleasant Street Lucy Dorn only wanted one thing when her family moved into their new home in April 2013: a playhouse. The then-seven-yearold made the request to her grandfather, who gladly became the lead architect in making Lucy’s dream a reality. Together with Lucy’s parents, Warren and
The Dorn Family's playhouse on Pleasant Street
Ginny Dorn, they scoured the internet for inspiration, found the perfect model, and built the playhouse from the ground up—without a kit. Ginny says they wanted a “cottage-y” feel to the design, so they painted the exterior blue with black shutters and white trim to match their home. Long white curtains frame the entrance, and darling little flower boxes (with flowers!) and a bell give the playhouse a homey presence. Inside, the playhouse is outfitted with a sitting area, a coffee table, a rug, and charming little string lights that light up on a
timer each night to set the playhouse aglow. When the playhouse isn’t being used by the kids as a stage, a safe place during tag, or a hiding spot during hide-and-seek, Ginny says the adults sometimes use it to enjoy with friends. Someday, if the kids stop using it, they might even turn it into a hot tub house.
The Marchal Family: Grove Avenue Twenty-five years ago, Richard Marchal designed and built a two-story playhouse for his three now-grown children. Today, it’s still standing sturdy and gets plenty of use by the Marchals’ grandchildren, as well as the cont'd on page 4
The Marchal Family's playhouse on Grove Avenue