History: 1849, chartered as the Oxford Female Institute, later, the Oxford College for Women; 1928, acquired by Miami University and used as a dorm for women until the 1980s, when it became a graduate-student dorm, closed in 1998; 2001, repurposed as a community arts center. The first floor, with a ballroom, theater, classrooms, and office spaces, was refurbished for exhibits, receptions, concerts, performances, and administrative offices.

The dorm rooms of the third floor, not refurbished, were made available to local artists to use as studios. When I retired, I asked if writers were considered artists. When told yes, I rented room 307, above, claiming to be a "creative writer," and to justify keeping it year after year, I've had to become one: not a bad way to occupy my time and my mind; delighted to be in an environment steeped in history and vibrant with new art in the making.