Subway restaurant at Mansfield Lahm being torn down to make way for Sky Club restaurant

Lou Whitmire, Mansfield News Journal
Updated ·2 min read
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The roof of the former Subway at the Mansfield Lahm Airport is demolished Thursday morning.
The roof of the former Subway at the Mansfield Lahm Airport is demolished Thursday morning.

The vacant Subway restaurant at Mansfield Lahm Airport is being demolished to make way for the new Sky Club restaurant businessman Dan Niss is having built at the site in the coming months.

A crew from J&F Construction of Bucyrus was demolishing the restaurant building Thursday. The new restaurant is set to be casual dining in the form of a bar and grill.

New restaurant coming to Lahm Airport

City council in November terminated a lease with Mansfield Sky Club for real estate known as Building No. 501 at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, the News Journal reported earlier.

Niss plans to build a new restaurant on the property, which is also known as the old terminal building. Council had to vote to terminate the lease because the current agreement did not allow demolition.

Members then voted to enter into a new lease with Mansfield Sky Club, the News Journal reported.

Demolition of the former Subway building at the Mansfield Lahm Airport continued on Thursday.
Demolition of the former Subway building at the Mansfield Lahm Airport continued on Thursday.

The building will be replaced with a new structure, at the expense of Niss, who will be making a $1.5 million investment.

Niss could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

History of original Sky Club

The original Sky Club at Mansfield Airport was destroyed by fire on June 5, 1960, according to News Journal archives. The loss was reported at $160,000 at the time. The state Fire Marshal's Office investigated the blaze along with Mansfield Fire Department. The building was owned by Richland Aviation Inc. and leased to Anthony Mollica, who operated the restaurant.

This is a rendering of the proposed Sky Club restaurant to be built in the coming months at Mansfield Lahm Airport by businessman Dan Niss who is leasing the site from the city of Mansfield.
This is a rendering of the proposed Sky Club restaurant to be built in the coming months at Mansfield Lahm Airport by businessman Dan Niss who is leasing the site from the city of Mansfield.

Officials moved eight to 10 airplanes from the parking ramp while the fire blazed at their backs, the News Journal reported. The blaze, easily seen from downtown Mansfield, drew hundreds of spectators to the scene.

The Sky Club was originally opened in 1946 by J.R. "Bud" Harrington, Mansfield aviation pioneer who was later killed in a plane crash at Akron Airport. The restaurant was closed and reopened a number of times in the ensuing years, according to News Journal archives.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: The Sky Club was originally opened in 1946 by J.R. "Bud" Harrington