THE PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT 2010
The Lagonda Challenge

IDEA: Renovate portions of the Lagonda Building and restore it to its original use as a community club. Operation will be events and youth-oriented with a particular emphasis on complementing existing community programs.

CATEGORY: Neighborhoods

GRANT AMOUNT: $250,000.00

TITLE: Join The Lagonda Challenge & help restore a National Historic Landmark into an events and youth-oriented Community Club.

WHO WE ARE: Arthur E. Wilson - Entrepreneur with 37 years’ experience developing real estate and operating small businesses in Springfield and Columbus, Ohio. I have a deep-rooted belief in the free enterprise system tempered by a clear appreciation of community service.

IDEA DESCRIPTION

The Pepsi Refresh Grant will be used to clear the financing hurdle usually associated with projects like Club Lagonda. Sufficient financing to create a successful community club has been the only irreconcilable obstacle since my wife and I acquired the Lagonda Building in 1988. We have accomplished many of the things necessary to ready the building for this purpose. Extraneous and deteriorated materials have been removed, deferred maintenance has been cured, and all three new utility services have been installed. And we have gathered many of the materials for creating Club Lagonda. In sum, we are ready to begin the Lagonda Challenge Project as soon as the grant is awarded.

The grant monies will be used to finish installation of the new roof, repair the soffit and downspouts, install HVAC, run electrical and plumbing laterals, and generally restore the first floor as Club Lagonda.

Our previous experience with the trades will facilitate the preparation of mechanical drawings to complement the artist’s renderings we already have (see www.ClubLagonda.com) and allow us to process the permits necessary to begin construction. Attention will be paid to exterior detail as needed to make the Lagonda Building appear as completely restored as possible. The general contractor and project engineer are licensed and experienced, and are satisfied we are qualified to serve as construction superintendents. Technicians have reviewed our preliminary plans and are awaiting word to install all the necessary electronic equipment. We will utilize our relationships with the trade professionals to make Club Lagonda a self-sustaining success. Our staffing requirements will be met by drawing on our long term associations with the specialty trades and assure the highest quality operations. All of our efforts are focused to help us achieve our goals to serve the needs of a relatively unserved market and complement existing social service programs.

We are confident Club Lagonda will succeed … our most formidable challenge after opening might be managing the diverse demographic we intend to serve so as not to be stigmatized as a single purpose facility. Three assets inherent in the Lagonda Building will prevent that from being a problem:

#1 - Club Lagonda will occupy only one of the four floors available for development, leaving ¾ of the building for diverse clientele.

#2 - The activity and revenue generated by Club Lagonda will create interest and provide revenue to take advantage of other opportunities as they arise.

#3 - Location, location, location … the Lagonda Building is a gateway property to downtown. Its striking Italian Renaissance edifice, located at one of the highest trafficked intersections in Springfield, will provide a very cost-effective way to spread the word regarding who we are and what we are doing. We have talked to school administrators, youth groups, and adult organizations and they have all expressed interest in the prospect of a local facility like Club Lagonda that would satisfy a wide variety of community opportunities and needs.

The Lagonda Building is located within the core block area of downtown Springfield, Ohio, on the northwest corner of the intersection of Spring and High Streets. It is one of three properties at that intersection listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, and each represents an important thread in the fabric of American culture. Saint Raphael Church and the Warder Literacy Center represent religion and education, and The Lagonda Building reflects our community's late-19th-century attempt to positively influence social order. Construction was sponsored by a group of influential private citizens, and The Lagonda Club was established with the completion of the Lagonda Building in 1894. The club served as a gathering place for men of affairs to discuss issues of the day and resolve civic concerns.
The word Lagonda is a Shawnee Indian term meaning buck's horn and was used to refer to what is now Buck Creek long before Springfield's founding. The Shawnee chose Lagonda because the meandering path the creek follows resembles a buck’s antler. We could find no explanation for the name change, but due to the recreational and commercial importance of Buck/Lagonda Creek, both Buck and Lagonda have been used to imply significance for more than a century. Most recently with the creation of Buck Creek State Park and Clarence Brown Reservoir (Lagonda Lake), both have gained regional prominence. Other instances of Lagonda used in titles include a hotel, an avenue, a manufacturing concern, an athletic field, a school, a park, an automobile, and an automobile enthusiast club.
During early organization for our Lagonda Challenge Project we were excited to learn we are not the only ones planning to revive the power of Lagonda in 2010. Aston Martin has announced they will manufacture a sports version of the Lagonda automobile and offer it as a part of their product line this year. We were even more excited to learn the Lagonda automobile was invented and first manufactured by a Springfield, Ohio, native. According to News-Sun staff writer Tom Stafford, Wilbur Gunn was born in Troy, Ohio, in 1860, but lived his early and young adult years in Springfield with his parents at what is now a house at 556 South Limestone Street.
Gunn conceived, manufactured, and raced the Lagonda automobile to fame in England in the early 1900's. After his death in the 1920's his company continued to produce the Lagonda until the '40's when Aston Martin acquired the name and all attendant privileges. The rest of the Lagonda automobile story is boilerplate until 2010. If the story and the photographs are accurate Wilbur will be spinning with joy at the fruits of Aston Martin's labor this year.
We would be speculating to say Aston Martin's purpose for launching their Lagonda project is the same as ours, but we suspect it is. Our general purpose is to create a product that will serve the public in a self-sustaining manner and grow market share and appreciation with every passing year. Our specific intent is to help preserve the Lagonda Building by reviving The Lagonda Club as Club Lagonda and operate it as a youth and events-oriented community club. We also plan to complement community service organizations by offering our facility to them for special events that augment their purposes.