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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug 4, 2021
Margerum City Hall & West Lafayette Wellness Center Grand Opening
The City of West Lafayette is excited to announce the Grand Opening and Dedication Ceremony for the new Margerum City Hall and the West Lafayette Wellness Center on Aug 13, 2021, at 3:00 PM and Aug 14, 2021, at 10:00 AM, respectively. The new buildings opened to the public in early 2021, but due to the ongoing public health concern of COVID-19, the official ribbon cuttings were delayed.
Margerum City Hall
Friday, Aug 13, 3:00 PM – Grand Opening Ceremony & Ribbon Cutting
The Public is Invited to Attend
West Lafayette Wellness Center
Saturday, Aug 14, 10:00 AM – Grand Opening Ceremony & Ribbon Cutting
Wellness Center Community Day: Open to the Public
Margerum City Hall is a 35,256 square foot facility built-in 1929. The $15.9 million renovated space includes city administrative offices, city council chambers, the Wabash Area Lifetime Learning Association office, and several community multi-purpose spaces. The multi-purpose rooms will serve as a public meeting space, parks programming, and use for the general public.
Margerum City Hall was fondly known as the Morton School and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a Tudor revival style. In 1986, the City of West Lafayette, under the leadership of Mayor Sonya L. Margerum, acquired the school, and it became an integral part of the community as the Morton Community Center. Mayor Margerum had the foresight to preserve the building so that the community could use it for generations to come.
From 2014-2018 some city offices occupied Morton after a broken water pipe at City Hall on Navajo Street made the space uninhabitable. In 2017, the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission commissioned a site feasibility study to determine a location for the future home of city services. In 2018, the work to select an architect, Construction Manager as Constructor, and Owners Representatives began. In late 2019 the team broke ground, and a year later, staff returned to Margerum City Hall. “The reopening of this building has been many years in the making. From moving city services, design and construction phases, and COVID restrictions, we have continued to offer a high level of city services in a temporary home. We are very excited to share this space with the community,” commented Erin Easter, Director of Development and a member of the building planning team.
Eric Margerum, son of Sonya Margerum, will represent the Margerum Family at the building dedication. He states, “Our mother loved the City of West Lafayette and the people living here. In every neighborhood and on every street corner, she saw opportunities for improvement even as she treasured the landmarks of history like Morton School. When my brothers and I visited, she was always excited to show us, and later our wives and our children, what new projects were in the works or just completed. In her last weeks of life when Mayor John Dennis visited her and told her that the new city hall would bear her name, she was very moved and honored. It buoyed her spirits to know that this would be part of her legacy. For her, from her, the Margerum family says thank you.”
“We have moved so many places since 2014. Our departments were scattered at multiple facilities across the city. We finally have a home for city services, city hall, and a civic center that the community can be proud of. I am so grateful and pleased that just as Mayor Margerum preserved this structure, we have continued to preserve it as the home of city life for the next 100 years.” Added Mayor Dennis.
The West Lafayette Wellness Center is a 72,000 square foot active wellness and community facility serving the City of West Lafayette and the surrounding area. The facility is home to three full-size gyms with an elevated walking track, a 170,000-gallon hybrid pool with zero-depth entry splash pad and four lap lanes, three group exercise class studios with in-person and on-demand availability, and community space for reservation, and state of the art fitness equipment. The Wellness Center will also be home to various youth and adult programming experiences, including personal training, camp programs, youth, and adult sports, swim lessons, enrichment programs, and much more. It is designed to be a family-friendly, all-inclusive community space.
“This facility is incredible and a resource our city has needed for a long time. It is a perfect extension of our Parks and Recreation services. I hope the community embraces and enjoys this facility for many years to come,” says Mayor John Dennis.
In 2017, the Parks and Recreation Five Year Master Plan included a rendering of the indoor recreation and aquatics center that was a catalyst for what the community can see today nestled in Cumberland Park. In a community feasibility study, a community wellness center emerged as a high priority for the citizens of West Lafayette and the surrounding areas.
“The West Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our citizens. Research shows that social determinants of health can be improved with physical activity,” states Kathryn Lozano, Parks and Recreation Superintendent. Lozano continues, “The state-of-the-art Wellness Center creates opportunities for groups and individuals to exercise physical, mental, and social wellbeing in a community space. We are excited to add the center to our already robust portfolio of parks, trails, and recreational offerings. Come out and give us a try on Aug 14 and check out our building, staff, and programs.”
Community Day will be free and open to the public and include the gym, fitness and cardio area, pool, and group exercise class demonstrations.
Completing these facilities marks a significant milestone for the next era of our local government and community services. Margerum City Hall broke ground in December of 2019. The West Lafayette Wellness Center broke ground in September 2019. The facilities offer West Lafayette citizens the following amenities:
- Improved customer service with visitors greeted at a centralized Help Desk
- Improved functionality for employee collaboration
- Enhanced public meeting spaces at both Margerum City Hall & the Wellness Center
- State of the art facilities and improved ADA accessibility
- Unified community wellness goals
“This is redevelopment at its best with the completion of these two amazing projects. First is the revitalization of an existing historically significant building that anchors West Lafayette’s downtown and will serve as the governmental home to West Lafayette citizens for decades to come. The second, especially during this time of the pandemic, is the creation of an advanced fitness facility that encourages the future health and wellness of our residents. These projects are excellent examples of West Lafayette’s ability to keep moving forward during both good and challenging times, and it only happens because we all – government, citizens, and private businesses – work together.” Larry Oats, Redevelopment Commission President, states.
Both events will include opening day remarks from the West Lafayette Mayor John R. Dennis, West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission President Larry Oates, and other guests. Tours and refreshments will be available during the event times.
Reservations for Margerum City Hall and the West Lafayette Wellness Center public rooms can be made through the West Lafayette Parks and Recreation Department.
Jenifer Van Schuyver
Community Development and Communications Manager
City of West Lafayette
jvanschuyver@westlafayette.in.gov
Heather Wiltse
Membership and Marketing Director: West Lafayette Wellness Center
Parks and Recreation: City of West Lafayette
hwiltse@westlafayette.in.gov
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