Crews demolish Wooster Inn
WOOSTER – The Wooster Inn is no more.
Jerri Lynn Baxstrom wanted to say goodbye Monday before it was completely demolished.
“I was married there on June 11, 1994,” Baxstrom said from her car parked on East Wayne Street. “It was before they had a tent for it, so we rented a tent and had the reception in the alumni room.”
As she spoke, the metal shovel of the yellow excavator crashed through the second floor near the front door, bringing down copious amounts of debris.
The rain and snow made the bleak occasion all the more somber for onlookers who parked along Wayne and Gasche streets.
By afternoon, the Wooster Inn was reduced to rubble. Clean-up will begin Wednesday, according to the College of Wooster. A public Zoom event will be held Thursday where residents can ask questions and provide input about the property.
‘It feels like a big loss for the Wooster community’
Baxstrom, a local resident, once taught French at the College of Wooster. The Wooster Inn hosted many French Department and school events along with family happenings.
She remembers standing on the patio drinking and chatting with friends.
“It has a lot of memories,” said Baxstrom, who lives near the now-demolished inn. “It feels like a big loss to the Wooster community because it was a connection between the college and the community.”
Before trees and signs were removed from the property, she and her husband took photos of the inn and compared it to their wedding pictures.
“I’m uber sentimental I guess,” she said.
Keepsakes, auction and salvage
While the Wooster Inn is gone, much of its furniture, decor and items housed on the property survive the building.
Most of its furniture and decor were auctioned online with RES Auction Services, said Melissa Anderson, chief communications and marketing officer for the College of Wooster.
Other prized and historical items were removed in February when the demolition decision was made, she said.
“(They were) moved into the college’s archives; other items with the Wooster Inn insignia are being held in storage by our Alumni Office for potential keepsakes,” Anderson said.
These keepsakes may be of interest to some on campus and in the community. She said any plans to distribute these items will be made public if the college decides to go in that direction.
Many materials throughout its structure were salvaged for the sum of nearly $25,000 by Habitat for Humanity of Wayne County volunteers. That’s around one-fourth the cost of a new habitat home, Anderson said.
Over the course of five days, volunteers with habitat logged 333 hours.
Asbestos and utility maintenance
Built and opened in the late 1950s, much of the Wooster Inn structure was dated and did not meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
According to the college, significant asbestos abatement clean-up was required along with underground water and sewer repairs and new air conditioning, ventilation systems, elevator and fire sprinkling systems.
Repairs were estimated at over $4 million based on pre-pandemic prices and did not include cosmetic renovations, spokespersons for the College of Wooster have told The Daily Record.
“Our repeated efforts to find a financially viable solution or a hospitality management company willing to undertake this work and these expenses as an operating partner were, unfortunately, not fruitful,” Anderson said.
Public meeting schedule for April 21 to discuss future of the property
As news of the demolition and plans for the property spread, nearby residents expressed their disapproval at a recent Wooster Planning Commission meeting.
According to the college and preliminary development plans, 12 tennis courts will be constructed with a 73spot parking lot with two entrances for traffic.
If approved in its current form, the facility will not be open at night and will be set back nearly 35 feet from East Wayne Street.
To discuss future plans for the site and to receive public input, the college will hold a Zoom planning meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, according to a letter distributed to nearby residents.
The meeting will look at draft plans and will provide a forum for thoughts and suggestions regarding landscaping and “other matters,” the letter reads.
Questions can be submitted in advance to be addressed during the meeting, but ideas, questions and suggestions are welcomed during the meeting, according to the letter.
“We would very much like your input, as we know this site has long been an important one for the campus and the city alike,” the letter states.
To register for the Zoom meeting or submit a comment in advance visit https://tinyurl.com/innlandscaping.
Reach Bryce by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com
On Twitter: @Bryce_buyakie