Project could bring big changes to Governor Warner Mansion grounds

FARMINGTON — Over the course of the next five years or so, the grounds of the Governor Warner Mansion may undergo some major changes.

A master plan has been adopted to improve the grounds, with Farmington City Council member Steven Schneemann, who is an architect, tasked with developing a design for the project.

Although there are multiple components to the project, the one that stands out the most is the concept for an outdoor building that Schneemann described as like a “permanent tent,” which would be approximately 3,000 square feet. It would be heated and air-conditioned, and would have a warming kitchen and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bathrooms.

Schneemann said that it would be like a “big party space” that could accommodate up to 260 people.

The ability to have more events on the grounds of the mansion is at the heart of the vision that Schneemann has for the project.

“The mansion, while it’s beautiful, it’s not conducive for real large gatherings,” Schneemann said. “The barn that’s there, we think if we rehab it, it could be used for some nice, small uses – small events.”

According to Schneemann, the project would be broken up into different chunks consisting of seven phases, maybe fewer.

He estimated that the project would take three to five years and would cost between $3.5 million and $4 million to complete.

Schneemann shared details of the potential new building.

“We’re working on the conceptual design of that building, but it would basically have a curtain of glass that that could just open up so that, just like a tent, (it) could be wide open to the outdoors so that the event, obviously, weather-permitting, could be spread between the inside of that tent building and then to the outside, like an outdoor party room, which would basically be between the mansion, the barn — bordered by the mansion — and then this new building, which would be off to the west a little bit, thereby kinda creating this big outdoor party space.”

According to Farmington Mayor Pro Tem Johnna Balk, the mansion itself has some structural issues and is not currently open to the public.

Phase 1 of the project could begin next spring, and although what it will consist of has not been fully determined, Balk anticipates that renovating the mansion would be one of the first steps.

Schneemann agrees.

“What I can say is the house itself is in need of some significant, immediate repair work,” he said. “I would anticipate that whatever we do would involve some investment in repair and stabilization of the house itself.”

Schneemann has given some thought to a potential role the mansion could play in relation to the project.

“We think the mansion itself can be used for small gatherings, or if you did a larger event, it could be used for, say, a wedding – the bride getting ready,” he said. “The party afterwards, the barn could be used for similar types of events. We’ve got an area for outdoor games, and then the parking area’s been expanded, so we can accommodate additional parking to support the events.”

With the city having previously purchased a church that was near the grounds of the mansion and having it demolished, the land where it stood can be utilized for additional parking.

When asked about what excites her about the potential for the grounds, Balk cited Schneemann’s vision to “utilize it more as an event space.”

She has not lost sight of the significance of the Governor Warner Mansion’s role in Farmington’s history.

“It’s such a landmark for our city,” Balk said. “There’s so many opportunities for future use. We’re really excited about starting that process.”

Schneemann also shared a couple of reasons to be excited about the project.

“One is the new building, because it will introduce a facility and an infrastructure that is sorely needed if we’re (going to) be able to have continual hosting of the kind of events that I think we would like to see. So that’s an important piece of infrastructure, that new building,” Schneemann said. “But then the bi-product of that is this outdoor room that it creates – this big, outdoor party space that we anticipate, similar to what we did at Riley Park, with the lights that cover the entire park – almost create a ceiling, if you will. We would do something similar there, between the house, the barn and then this new tent building.”

Balk shared further details about the potential new building.

“One whole side of it would be glass, and it would look at the side of the mansion,” she said. “So it is making the mansion itself a focal point, which is super cool … so that when you’re in the new building, you’re looking over at the mansion. You would almost frame it when you’re in the new building.”

As for money for the project, Schneemann said that the city is already off to a good start.

According to Balk, the city secured $1 million in money allocated from the state.

Schneemann has already begun to think about how the project could bring in money for the city.

“We anticipate that once it’s up and running, that we can have good revenue generation,” he said. “There does seem to be a real demand for event spaces like this. So we think that from a business perspective, the portfolio looks pretty good for the city.”

Balk also expressed an optimistic outlook about the potential for money to come the city’s way.

“I’m sure that we’ll keep going for grants and anything we can do to try and do that, but there’s also potential for using the grounds as rental,” she said. “Once we get things going, there will be potential for it to be utilized as a space for rental.”

From Schneemann’s perspective, the project could take things to the “next level” in Farmington.

“We’ve never had a venue quite like this in the history of Farmington,” he said. “So in some ways I think it’s the best of both worlds; we get to keep and reinvest in kind of a beloved community jewel that we have in the Governor Warner Mansion property, but then we also get to have a new party space that can host all sorts and sizes of events for people in the community. So if you were somebody that wanted to have a really nice wedding, kind of Farmington-centric, and have a reception and everything, you were pretty limited and you didn’t have a venue like this in Farmington that could accommodate 150, 160 people. Now you do.”

The “community jewel” that Farmington has with the Governor Warner Mansion has also not been lost on Balk.

“We are taking into consideration anything historical,” she said. “Anything that is related to Governor Warner, we are doing this with a historian’s vision. We’ve consulted the Historical Society of Michigan. We’re not just going in willy nilly.”