Vote for the Lagonda Building

A stone’s throw from the current Chamber of Commerce offices at Commerce Pointe sits a once grand edifice, now abandoned. It is the Lagonda Building (at the corner of Spring and High Streets) perhaps better known to some as the Chamber of Commerce Building. Built in 1894 and home to the Chamber from 1923 until 1963, it retains a certain stateliness despite its age and abandonment. If a practical use and funds were found to bring it back to life, it would once again be a crown jewel in the downtown. It can happen with your help. Art Wilson and his wife own the building. They bought it in 1988. They have entered the project in an online voting contest conducted each month by Pepsi at www.refresheverything.com. Voting takes place all this month. When you log on, you will see on the left hand side four rectangles with dollar amounts of $5,000, $25,000, $50,000 and $250,000. The Wilsons have applied for a $250,000 grant, the most difficult to achieve, obviously. You can vote by going to www.refresheverything.com/lagondachallenge. The Wilsons want to turn the building into a youth and events-oriented community club. I’ll go so far as to say our youth, particularly our teens, have been neglected in this regard. Here’s an opportunity to rehab a building and make it accessible to today’s teens and others. Sounds like a worthy project to me. Now go vote and use all your social media avenues to get the word out to others. Have a great Chamber day!