Former Hiland High School star athlete bringing his skills to Millersburg renovation

Kevin Lynch, The Daily Record
·3 min read
Dylan Kaufman points out the old wood structures that will be maintained as the third floor of the old American Hall building on the square in Millersburg undergoes a renovation. The one-time speakeasy will be a reception hall, possibly as soon as next summer.
Dylan Kaufman points out the old wood structures that will be maintained as the third floor of the old American Hall building on the square in Millersburg undergoes a renovation. The one-time speakeasy will be a reception hall, possibly as soon as next summer.

MILLERSBURG - When Dylan Kaufman was a high school athlete from 2009 to 2012, he set the standard for excellence at Hiland High School, leading the Hawks to back-to-back state basketball championships and graduating as the all-time leading scorer in school history.

He also enjoyed elite status in goal on the soccer pitch and shined on the baseball diamond.

Now he is bringing some of that luster to the village of Millersburg, with his purchase last year and plans to renovate the historic American Hall building on the northeast corner of the intersection of Jackson and Clay streets.

The upstairs interior of this beautiful old building on the square in Millersburg is being renovated and converted into luxury apartments and a third-floor reception hall.
The upstairs interior of this beautiful old building on the square in Millersburg is being renovated and converted into luxury apartments and a third-floor reception hall.

Kaufman bought the building last year with plans of renovating the second floor into  upscale apartments and converting the third floor into a reception hall. The street level storefronts feature one long-standing business (Three Feathers Pewter) and two new ones, Troyer's Sweet Shoppe and Lucas Mast's martial arts studio. The sweet shop is now where Young's Music was for many, many years.

Millersburg Village Administrator Nate Troyer is excited to see the vision and plans Kaufman has for the historic downtown landmark.

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“We are excited to see what all Dylan has in the works for this building," Troyer said. "He came to us early on in the process and explained his plans for one of the more prominent buildings in our downtown, and it was very impressive to see the vision and drive he has to complete it."

Coming back home

Kaufman graduated from the University of Findlay in 2016 with a degree in finance and marketing. He played basketball for four years for the Oilers. He currently works for SSB Community Bank in Berlin in commercial and mortgage lending. He and his wife Jackie, a dietician at Pomerene Hospital, live in Millersburg.

Dylan and Jackie Kaufman look at one of the future apartments on the second floor of the American Hall building in downtown Millersburg.
Dylan and Jackie Kaufman look at one of the future apartments on the second floor of the American Hall building in downtown Millersburg.

Kaufman has been spending all of his spare time over the past year helping to renovate the third floor of the building for the reception hall. He and Jackie were married in April, and held their reception on there, hosting more than 300 guests, although the project is far from being ready to open to the public. He hopes to be ready for business next summer.

Jackie said last year she, her mother and Dylan all worked hard at removing the plaster to expose the original brick walls, along with helping remove the drywall.

"We had a deadline to get it done for our wedding," she said.

"It was cool to have our own wedding here just to see what this could be," Dylan added.

Big plans

Plans include adding an external elevator on the back side of the building for easy access to the second and third floors. A brace is also being installed between the second and third floors to insure weight capacity.

Kaufman pointed out they hope to have some rooftop access, as wellas possibly a common laundry area and even maybe a workout facility. Tekton Engineering is developing some plans to try and bring his vision to life, and he has a contractor in mind for the project.

"When you come off the elevator, there will be a porch here, and possibly some outdoor seating and a fire pit, or a hot tub," he said. "There will also be an entrance from the main hall (around the front)."

Dylan Kaufman describes the bar made using wood from the existing structure on the third floor of the American Hall building in downtown Millersburg. The bar is part of the reception hall on the third floor of the building.
Dylan Kaufman describes the bar made using wood from the existing structure on the third floor of the American Hall building in downtown Millersburg. The bar is part of the reception hall on the third floor of the building.

Moving forward

The village is also looking forward to continued development of downtown Millersburg.

"We are happy that Troyer’s Sweet Shoppe is already in place there and look forward to the rest of the improvements to this location," Troyer said. "It’s encouraging when new investments are made in the downtown that will only add to all the great things already going on.”

Kaufman hopes the upscale, downtown living will be a part of the revitalized atmosphere in the community. The courthouse renovation, and all the nightlife downtown make it an inviting and exciting place to be.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Dylan Kaufman has big plans for American Hall building in MIllersburg