The Mabel Tainter Memorial was erected to honor Mabel Tainter, daughter of lumberman Andrew L. Tainter and his wife Bertha, and was given to area citizens on July 3, 1890. Reflecting advanced American architectural, social, educational, and religious thought of its era, it was designed by Harvey Ellis, then employed by St. Paul architect L.S. Buffington, as an important and sophisticated local sandstone building in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Its interior features carvings, stenciling, leaded glass, brass, and marble, while the ornate auditorium shows a strong Moorish influence. It provided the community with a reading room and library, club rooms, and an auditorium, and it also served as the home of the original Menomonie Unitarian Society, whose minister, Henry Doty Maxson, inspired the Tainters to build it as a center dedicated to the city's moral and social welfare. It continues to serve the entire community as a cultural and educational focus.