History of the Oxford Community Arts Center

The Oxford Female Institute

In 1849, a small 2-story brick building stood on the corner of College and High Streets. The Reverend John Witherspoon Scott, a former instructor at Miami University, chartered The Oxford Female Institute on February 23, 1849. By 1856, a new three-story building stood to the south of the original school, and the two buildings were connected by a latticed walkway. By the end of the 1800s, the buildings had been connected with additions for a north wing, library, chapel, and other rooms.

Caroline Scott Harrison

Caroline Scott was born in Oxford, OH, in 1832. At the age of 20, she graduated from the Oxford Female Institute, where her father, the Reverend John Witherspoon Scott, was the first President. She met Benjamin Harrison while he was a college student in Cincinnati. He transferred to Miami in the 1850s, and they married in 1853, one year after their graduation. Benjamin Harrison was elected President of the United States in 1888. Caroline Scott Harrison served as the first national DAR President while living in Washington, D.C.

Oxford College for Women

The Oxford Female Institute and the Oxford Female College merged in 1867 and were re-chartered as the Oxford College for Women in 1906. By 1928, Miami University acquired the building and remodeled it through architect Robert Harsh who unified the different parts of the building with a Georgian facade. The ballroom, the final addition, was added by Miami University in 1929 with monies raised by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in honor of First Lady Caroline Scott  Harrison. The Brant Ballroom was dedicated in honor of

National Register of Historic Places

In 1976, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and listed by its original name--Oxford Female Institute. The building was a women's dormitory until the mid-1980s, when it was used to house graduate students. Miami University closed the building in 1998.

Oxford Community Arts Center

Around the time that the building closed, a group of Oxford residents came together to establish an arts center and preserve the building. The Oxford Community Arts Center was incorporated on October 29, 2001. This saved the historic building and repurposed it as a community arts center, providing an arts space for adults, families, and children living and around Oxford. The OCAC now serves as a vibrant multi-generational gathering place with classes, performances, workshops, and community engagement events, reaching over 11,000 participants annually.

In 2001, Miami University and the Oxford Community Arts Center signed a 50-year lease with a 25-year renewal clause. That clause was updated in November 2022 with a renewal date of April 30, 2052.

The OCAC provides a home for art entrepreneurs and opportunities to enduring partners, including:

• 29 artists, writers, and musicians in Resident Artist Studios
• Miami University Performing Arts Series
• The Art Shop, a retail consignment gallery featuring a range of artworks in various mediums;
• The Oxford Area Community Theatre (OxACT), Oxford's own community theatre
• Flowing Grace School of Dance, which teaches adults, teens, and children ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary dance
• Daughters of the American Revolution-Caroline Scott Chapter
• Des Fleurs Garden Club
• Ohio Ballroom