Bryn Du Mansion breaks ground on $1.5 million historic barn renovation for Community Center

Nearly every building at the Bryn Du Mansion has been touched by renovation over the past two decades, except for one: the former horse barn. But now the 115-year-old structure is getting an update of its own.

Bryn Du broke ground on phase one of its renovation of the two-story barn, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Bryn Du estate, on May 1.

Over the next seven months, the first floor of the barn will undergo a $1.5 million renovation that will transform the building into the new home for the Licking County Community Center for 60+ Adults, which moved to the Bryn Du property last year.

Granville Mayor Melissa Hartfield said during the groundbreaking ceremony that Bryn Du has been an ever-evolving piece of Granville's history and jewel of the community. The village bought the property in December 2002, paving the way for the property's preservation and revitalization.

"If not for that purchase decades ago, the great front lawn could be full of houses, the mansion could possibly be in disrepair and outbuildings could be gone forever," Hartfield said to the crowd of more than a hundred gathered in front of the barn. "And yet here we stand today to mark another significant renovation on this property."

Licking County Community Center members filled the lawn in front of the barn, and they matched the theme as they wore plastic hard hats.

Zach Reuscher, board president of the Community Center and corporate treasury director at Park National Bank, said the center was started in 1965 by four Granville woman representing the four Granville churches at Broadway and Main Street. The women had a simple goal of promoting fellowship among the community, he said. In the years since, the center has done just that as it hosts lunches, games, line dancing, field trips and so much more for its nearly 700 members.

"I have to believe our founders would be awestruck to see the progress that we've made and yet the future is as bright as it's ever been," Reuscher said.

The renovated space will provide offices, a kitchen, multipurpose spaces for educational, cultural and social programs, as well as a small museum about the history of Bryn Du and the Community Center, Bryn Du Commission President Candi Moore said in an interview after the groundbreaking. The commission is responsible for the management and development of the Bryn Du property.

"We'd like to make sure their stories are told," Moore said.

While the first phase focuses on the barn's first floor, Moore said prep work will be done on mechanical aspects, such as plumbing and HVAC, for the eventual second floor renovation.

Of the $1.5 million for the project, the village of Granville provided $910,000 for the renovation, $300,000 of which is a loan that Bryn Du will pay back. The village also provided $110,000 for planning, Moore said.

Bryn Du received another $171,500 from a state grant, and donations from more than 100 community organizations and individuals make up nearly $500,000, Moore said.

Robertson Construction Services will handle the renovation with architectural expertise provided by Northpoint Ohio Architecture.

Renovating the first floor is just the beginning for the barn's transformation as the second floor will become a large multipurpose space that can host musical performances, lectures and cultural activities in a future renovation project. Moore said fundraising is ongoing for a second phase, but she didn't know yet when that construction might happen.

"We need to flesh out the plans more for phase two," she said.

mdevito@gannett.com

740-607-2175

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Bryn Du breaks ground on $1.5 million renovation of historic barn