Milo-Grogan Boys & Girls Club demolished to make way for new facility

Rendering courtesy of Berardi Partners; Photo courtesy of Julian Foglietti

Great news for central Ohio youth–there will be a lot more room for laughter in the new Boys & Girls Club thanks to generous community partners and some innovative planning.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio’s Milo-Grogan clubhouse was demolished Monday, Oct. 5, to make room for a new building that will combine two existing clubs and serve as the organization’s administrative headquarters. Doug Wolf, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio, said the state-of-the-art facilities will benefit the children and employees alike.

“There’s certainly a lot of laughs and smiles and memories wrapped up in the current Milo-Grogan club, but it is 65 years old, and it’s really limited our ability to provide the world-class club experience that we hope to provide for our young people,” said Wolf.

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The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio is a nonprofit organization that provides support and guidance to primarily at-risk youth through after-school and summer programs.

The new facility at 1012 Cleveland Ave. will be over 24,000 square feet, roughly double the size of the old building. Details about the new features of the building are scarce, but will be unveiled as the November groundbreaking ceremony draws nearer. Wolf was willing to reveal that the clubhouse’s athletics and career development capabilities will be greatly increased.

Wolf is also excited to move the organization’s administrative offices into a shared space with the youth programs that the club provides. He said he looks forward to the laughter of the children filling their offices.

“We strive to get into our club spaces and be with our kids often, but to be able to see the young people every day is gonna be extremely motivating for our leadership staff,” he added.

The new facility is made possible by generous contributions from a multitude of donors led by The Champion Companies, a leading multi-family investment, development, and management company in central Ohio. The partners have already donated over $10 million and are hoping to raise $3 million more to complete the project.

“This project really is the epitome of what can happen when business and community leaders come together–even in the toughest of times,” Brian Yeager, president and CEO of The Champion Companies and the campaign’s co-chair, said in a press release. “Undertaking this project during COVID-19 and its economic turmoil is a shining example of the ‘Columbus Way.’”

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