40. Community Need Benham’s Grove is a 19th century farmhouse complex nestled in the heart of Uptown in Centerville. The City acquired the property at 166 North Main Street in 1991 and completed an expansive renovation of its facilities. While Benham’s Grove has become a popular site for weddings, showers, graduation parties and business meetings, its features have seen little investment or improvement over the past 30 years.
In 2022, the City worked with LWC Inc. for master planning services for Benham’s Grove. There has been interest in constructing a new event center with the ability to host events of up to 200 people. Initial renderings include a glass, wood, and limestone façade, which enhance the natural beauty of Benham’s Grove while paying homage to Centerville’s historic stone buildings. The space will serve as an ideal venue for weddings, graduations, and other events, while providing space for educational program about the community’s history. This building would also be able to host events year-round, allowing for much more use of the property than is currently available.
Renovating the Gerber House is also a priority in this project, since the house is the main focal point of the Benham’s Grove campus. Proposed improvements in the Gerber House include new flooring, kitchen and bathroom remodels, and overall enhancements of which the building has not seen in a long time.
Other focal points of improvements include, but are not limited to: ADA accessibility, gazebo repairs, landscaping improvements, and parking improvements and expansion. Building improvements will be both structural and aesthetic but will maintain the historic charm of the property. All improvements will serve the public as a community amenity when the facilities are not in use for events.
In 2023, the City worked with LWC to design and bid this project, which is planned for bid opening in November 2023 and construction to begin in early 2024.