By Ryan Carson
Forum Editor
The Granville Inn is quietly flying under the radar as it finishes up its completion. After Denison purchased the Inn, major renovations were undertaken in order to bring the Inn back to its former glory.
“The Granville Inn had to be ready for a dinner last Friday. It will not actually open to the public until May 8,” said Seth Patton, vice president of finances and management. According to Patton, the dinner that was undertaken last Friday was “all along this target of being able to let the Board of Trustees see it when they were here.”
The goal of bringing the building back to its former glory was not without challenges. The project team took steps to allow the project to be finished under Historical Preservation and Reservations guidelines.
“As architects like to say it had good bones but all the basic systems had to be replaced,” Patton said. “There is not a plumbing line left in that building that was there before the renovation all the way out to the street.”
Despite the challenges, the programs that Denison has in place to manage the building are so that in the long term it can be a for-profit business. Denison partnered with businesses like Nationwide Insurance and Park National Bank in order to make it profitable again.
The plan to refurbish the Inn is part of Denison’s more active role in preserving the history of Granville community as in addition to the Inn purchase, the Granville Golf course was recently donated to the college.
The recent developments have students excited as to the future of Denison’s role at the Granville Inn.