Anna Louise Inn


The Anna Louise Inn is a women's facility in Cincinnati, Ohio providing low-cost housing and health services to women, including those leaving abusive relationships or prostitution, recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, or transitioning out of foster care. It is operated by Cincinnati Union Bethel, a charitable group founded in 1830.
The present location of the home is 2401 Reading Rd., in Mount Auburn, Cincinnati. For over a century, Anna Louise Inn was located at downtown Cincinnati, within the Lytle Park Historic District. After a protracted legal battle, Western & Southern Financial Group bought the original building and are in the process of converting it into a hotel.

History

The Anna Louise Inn was established in the spring of 1909, as a home for working young women. The Charles P. Taft family were the principal benefactors of the institution, which stood across the street from their home. They named the Anna Louise Inn after their daughter.
Cincinnati Union Bethel attempted to sell the property to Western & Southern Financial Group in 2009. The firm offered $1.8 million, less than half its appraised value, pointing to the economic conditions at the time, noting that the collapse of the United States housing bubble had slashed real estate values throughout the city and the region. CUB turned down the offer. It was subsequently sued by the company, which cited zoning issues and gender discrimination violations, the latter related to a $12.6 million HUD grant that CUB had sought for a renovation project. After a protracted legal battle, CUB said that it lacked the funds to continue the fight and finally agreed to sell the property for $4 million. The effort was renewed four years later, this time successfully.
The new Anna Louise Inn in Mount Auburn, with 85 units, opened its doors in 2015.