First Community Village unveils renovations to ice house that stood on Miller farm

An ice house that dates back to the community's earliest days now is to be an event hub and gathering place for First Community Village residents, following the completion of a $100,000 renovation.

Roughly a year after announcing that Elford Inc.'s Elford Foundation had given $100,000 to restore and upgrade an ice house built in 1860 on the farm of Upper Arlington's first mayor, James T. Miller, representatives of First Community Village on July 12 celebrated the completion of the project.

The facility, located on FCV's 25-acre campus at 1800 Riverside Drive, now is to be another relaxation amenity for FCV campus residents. It also is envisioned to be a place for the retirement community to hold activities like music on the lawn, cookouts, wine tastings, anniversaries and luncheons.

Eventually, it could become a small event destination that FCV could rent or allow access to for private events, like parties or wedding receptions.

Mark Ricketts, president and CEO of National Church Residences, the faith-based nonprofit organization that owns FCV, said a primary driver of the project was the celebration of the Miller farm and the preservation of one of Upper Arlington's most historic landmarks.

"We think it's the oldest structure in Upper Arlington," Ricketts said. "The primary goal was just to keep it functional. …and to preserve that history.

"The second driver, for seniors, is providing places to convene and have fun. When you give up your single-family home and your yard and garden and all those things like that, you really don't want to lose your greenness. You don't want to lose your life of outside-inside. This campus is built for indoor-outdoor living, and places like that make it kind of like you have a backyard."

Improvements to the ice house included the addition of a new roof, a restroom, stairs, painting and landscaping.

The work was funded entirely through a $100,000 gift from the Elford Foundation.

The foundation, and Elford Inc., have deep ties to FCV, Elford President Mike Fitzpatrick said, noting he's an Upper Arlington resident and his grandfather, Thomas C. "T.C." Fitzpatrick, lived out his later years at FCV.

"I was born and raised in Upper Arlington and I have a lot of family members that live here," Fitzpatrick said. "A lot of my friends' parents and grandparents have enjoyed their senior years here and remained part of the family and community because they were still living in our neighborhood. Certainly, that was the case when my grandfather lived here.

"I think they do a great job of continuing to invest while honoring the history and taking care of the (campus) trees and landscaping. This project, this is a part of their campus that brings people together. Families have birthday parties and graduation parties here. Senior gathers here and have fun together."

When FCV officials last June announced plans for the ice house renovation, Melanie Circle Brown, the Upper Arlington Historical Society's then-executive director, said the ice house was potentially the oldest structure in Upper Arlington and "one of the last remaining parts of Miller farm" on the campus.

Historical society archives state that for many summers, the ice house was filled with ice cut from the Scioto River and packed in sawdust.

According to the archives, the ice lasted all summer, and family members of farm owner James T. Miller "hosted memorable ice cream parties on the lawn."

Fitzpatrick said the addition of the restroom should make the ice house a more accommodating facility, and he's pleased it will carry on the tradition of being a venue for families and friends to gather and enjoy themselves.

"It's a really spectacular location on this campus," he said. "I know there will be lots of events and happy hours thrown up here for the residents and their families."

The ice house project is the first of 15 commemorative areas on the FCV campus that NCR hopes to establish or enhance through a capital campaign called "The Places."

More information about the 15 commemorative areas included in The Places campaign is available by contacting Suzan Nocella, First Community Village Foundation director, at 614-488-2076 or snocella@nationalchurchresidences.org.

"You're actually looking at the past, the present and the future," said Nocella. "The Millers built memories, and we are building memories around this ice house, as well.

"As we look into the future and generations to come, we also know that memories will be built."

nellis@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekNate

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: First Community Village unveils renovations to ice house that stood on Miller farm