The Mariemont Preservation Foundation (MPF) will open the historic Ferris House to the public for the first time as a museum on Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11.

The sneak preview, running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days, gives residents a first look at the space that will become the Mariemont Museum. It also marks the launch of MPF's final $100,000 fundraising campaign to finish the $1.3 million restoration project, according to the foundation's announcement.

MPF said it is $100,000 short of its $1.3 million goal.

The grand opening is scheduled for July 2027.

The Ferris House, at 3915 Plainville Road, was built between 1802 and 1812 by Eliphalet Ferris, son of Revolutionary War veteran Jeduthan Ferris. It is the oldest surviving brick building in Hamilton County and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.

The building has deep roots in Mariemont's founding. Philanthropist Mary Emery purchased it as the first property for her planned community, and in 1923 it served as construction headquarters for the Mariemont Company. The village's groundbreaking ceremony was held on the house's front lawn that same year.

Restoration work has included two phases of masonry repair by local contractor HICON, Inc., with the final round of tuckpointing on the east elevation and chimney underway as of Aug. 6.

Grants from the Ohio History Fund helped pay for the brick and chimney work, including a $3,500 award in April and a $5,000 grant in May 2025.

The finished museum will cover Mariemont's history, Mary Emery's legacy, the area's earliest settlers and the Indigenous history of the Little Miami River Valley. Visitors at the October preview will be asked to fill out a survey so MPF can refine exhibits before the official opening.

MPF Executive Director Rosie Polter leads the project. The foundation listed its funding partners as the Thomas J. Emery Memorial Fund, the Ohio History Fund, the H.G., H.F. & Louise Tuechter Dornette Foundation, the Louise Taft Semple Foundation, the Mariemont chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, donors of the Fifty Founders Group and Allied Windows.

The preview is open to the public Oct. 10-11 at 3915 Plainville Road.