Event center opens in Richfield Heritage Preserve

Notable people helped create the park

by Sue Serdinak

The Cleveland Girl Scout Council purchased the James Kirby estate off Oviatt Road in 1937 in the midst of a depression, with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt endorsing the purchase.

Eleanor Garfield, granddaughter of President James Garfield, headed up the fundraising campaign to pay James Kirby $48,500 for the 224 acres with a lake, a boathouse and a water wheel. The property was appraised at $85,000, but Kirby reduced the price for the Girl Scouts.

The Scouts named the campgrounds Camp Julia Crowell, after the first commissioner of Cleveland Girl Scouts. They converted a bungalow Kirby built with a floating floor as a dining hall. They named the hall the Garfield House.

In 1957, the Girl Scout Council purchased 93 adjoining acres from the Neal Family, founders of Neal Fruit Farm, which became the Country Counter grocery store (now Giant Eagle.) The property included an elegant brick home, horse stables, a lake and cabins.

The Girls Scout Council named this section Camp Hilaka, in reference to the upper (high) lake on the property. Over time, the combined parks were called Camp Crowell Hilaka.

George Gund Hall

In the years of 1967, 68 and 69 the George Gund Foundation made donations of $9 million for buildings that would be named after George Gund II, president of Cleveland Trust bank, who passed away in 1966.

The Cleveland Girl Scout Council applied for a Gund grant and was successful in getting funding for a dining hall on the 336-acre property. The hall was built with a large institutional kitchen, a heated floor and wood-burning fireplace.

The hall served many happy campers before the Girl Scout Council closed the park in 2011. When the Council put the park on the market, some feared that the ravines, lakes, trails and historic water mill would all be lost to a development of homes.

Women who had enjoyed the park as Girl Scouts organized as a 501-C-3 non-profit, Friends of Crowell Hilaka. They headed up an effort, joined by Richfield Village and Township residents and elected officials, to put a bond issue and operating levy before the Richfield voters to acquire and maintain the park.

Both issues passed in 2015, and the responsibility of managing the new Richfield Joint Recreation District was handed over to a board of appointees. The water wells and sewage treatment plant weren’t operating, beautiful old buildings were in disrepair, invasive species were overtaking the landscape, dead trees crossed paths, the latrines and shelters were collapsing, the roadway was disintegrating and the newly elected board did not have an office or place to meet.

But the public started visiting the park and appreciating its outstanding beauty. Many volunteered to work on various projects, and it has evolved to be a regional destination.

The FoCH group’s commitment to the park never waned. With their non-profit status, they started raising money to restore the water mill and other buildings. They worked for three years to have the park listed on the National Register of Historic Places to improve the odds of attaining grants for the property. They were named the official friends group of the park.

Tight budget

In the five years the board has governed the park, it has operated on a slim budget to complete several projects, including the repair of the sewage treatment plant and the first phase of the reconstruction of the dam on the south end of the property.

The board concluded early that it might generate income by renting some of the buildings. Board member Sandy Apidone promoted the idea that George Gund Hall, usually referred to simply as Gund Hall, with seating capacity of 200, would be an ideal venue for weddings and other private affairs.

According to board chair Bob Becker, Jeff DeLuca, park operations manager, coordinated many projects to make the building rentable. He, a few contractors and many volunteers organized under Susan Czaplicki, demolished and rebuilt restrooms, replaced the electric panel, connected a water line, remodeled the kitchen, made the building handicap accessible and scrubbed and painted the half-century building.

Board member Pat Norris organized the repair of the water boiler, which provides the hot water for the heated floor. The Ohio Operating Engineers helped with the trench work and parking lot prep.

Apidone purchased new tables and chairs and oversaw turning the arched-wood hall into an attractive facility.

Office manager Mindy Remec said there have been many calls from individuals interested in renting the hall after the pandemic has passed.

Apidone has proposed renaming the building “The Lodge of the Richfield Heritage Preserve” for better marketing. She said the Gund Foundation did not agree to fund the park further to keep the Gund name on the building.

Becker said the board has not yet acted on the name change, but he expects it to be approved.

Rental details

The 2021 rental rates for Richfield residents are $2,000 Monday-Thursday; $3,000 Friday and Sunday; and $4,000 for Saturday. Non-residents must add $1,000 per event. Special prices apply until the end of the year. For rental information, visit rjrd.org.

Ribbon cutting In honor of the hard work and devotion of so many volunteers to bring the Gund Hall, or Lodge of the Richfield Heritage Preserve, to its beautiful resurrection, the Richfield Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting on Nov. 12. At the socially distanced event, Becker acknowledged the hard work of DeLuca, Apidone and all the other volunteers who worked tirelessly on the project.

Feature image photo caption: Gund Hall, which may get a new name, is now available as event center for up to 200 people. Richfield Chamber of Commerce sponsored a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photos courtesy of RJRD