About The Milliken

The House of the Loving Heart
About the Milliken

The House of the Loving Heart

 

In the age of the “Roaring Twenties,” philanthropists Mary Louise Milliken and her husband Samuel Canning Childs embarked on a charitable spree that impacted communities across the world. In a stunning act of benevolence, the Childs donated funds for over twenty hospitals, two churches, several orphanages, and a singular community building that would benefit the community of Mary Louise’s youth and serve as a center for educational, social, and civic programming. Designed by the Dean of the Yale School of Architecture George Simpson Koyl of the architecture firm Marr & Holman, and designed in the era’s fashionable Colonial-Revival style, the Milliken consists of over 13,000 square feet of grand spaces that continue to serve the community in elegance and beauty.

LEARN THE HISTORY

OUR MISSION

Milliken Memorial Community House Association provides cultural, social, and education activities for the health, safety, and wellbeing of the Todd County, Kentucky community. 

SUPPORT

Since 1928, registered non-profit organizations, civic clubs, social improvement groups, and charitable groups are the primary organizations we serve for the public good. 

COMMUNITY

Todd County, Kentucky is a place of  hospitality, kindness, and its people appreciate the pursuit of higher knowledge. We serve to ensure that these key attributes flourish in our community. 

The House of the Loving Heart Serves All

WE CARE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY

Since 1928, the Milliken Memorial Community House has operated as the flagship charity in Todd County, Kentucky. The Milliken has been instrumental in celebrating our community’s accomplishments in the best of times, and assisted its people during times of hardship. 

The Milliken is led by a donation and volunteer based membership and a Board of Directors. The organization offers social and educational programming for the safety, health, and wellbeing of the community. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is the Milliken Memorial Community House?

The Milliken Memorial Community House is a very unique house for the community; truly one-of-a-kind. Before its construction, there was nothing like it in the United States, as it is the first building ever privately donated and designed for the specific purpose of being a community building. The program of the building is designed for the arts, social activities, to house a collection of knowledge, and to provide a center for public and private celebrations. The building was never a residence, it was always designed specifically to be a house solely for the people. The Milliken Memorial Community House holds the area’s first auditorium, library, and ballroom. In 1928, those that witnessed the presentation of the house to the community both locally and abroad would have marveled at the technologically advanced systems, the amenities, and the shear size of the project. Today it is still used at it was originally intended, and may be used by charitable organizations, and the community as a space for public or private events. 

Was the Milliken Memorial Community House ever a private house?

No; and that’s what makes the building so special. In the 1920s, there are a few examples of communities in the Northeast establishing community houses from private residences as a publicly funded effort, but the Milliken Memorial Community House was designed by Marr & Holmann architect’s lead designer George Simpson Koyl who pioneered a new building program for the new building. The Milliken Memorial Community House stands on the homesite of the Wells family, who Mary Louise Milliken was related to through the maternal side of her family, but the lot was cleared with the exception of many of the mature trees for the construction of the project. 

Who is Milliken Memorial Community House named for?

Initially, Mary Louise Milliken Childs did not want the Community House to be named in memory to anyone nor anything. She preferred that it be simply donated to the residents of Todd County without a name. At the insistence that the building memorialize an individual by the architects Marr & Holmann, Mary Louise acquiesced, and the building was dedicated to her mother Mary Rebecca Wells Milliken.

Is the Milliken available for rent as a private event venue?

Yes. For a fee, guests may use the building for weddings, parties, anniversaries, graduations, and virtually any event that may be desired. To inquire, please call ‪1+(502) 219-2635‬. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Brittany Prather, Sharon Shanklin, Matthew Colin Bailey, Charlotte Morrow, Donna Nabb, Vivian Templeman, Ashley Coffman

Contact Us

Call the Milliken Memorial Community House : ‪1-270-731-6113

info@themilliken.com
·   Mon – Fri 09:00AM-5:00PM

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