Jeffrey Mansion

Jeffrey Mansion is a beautiful 150-year-old mansion in Bexley, Ohio, originally built between 1903 and 1905. Sitting on 34-acres, the historic mansion is currently owned by the City of Bexley and operated by the Parks and Recreations Department, which is open to the public and offers cultural and arts education programs as well as event space for weddings, parties, and large gatherings. The elegant home and grounds remain a visual testimony to the grandeur of an earlier time and to the dreams of Robert H. Jeffrey. It is an integral part of the city’s past, present, and future.

After 10 years of master planning and fundraising, the City was finally ready to move forward on the renovation and expansion of the mansion in order to maximize the program value of the space within the mansion and accommodate the growing demand for programming and events. The primary goal of the project was to improve the availability, quality, and flexibility of program spaces within the mansion. This allows for additional community class and activity offerings, spaces designed to improve the overall experience, the ability to host larger programs, and the ability to hold indoor summer camps during inclement weather without displacing other activities.

In 2007, the City of Bexley developed the Jeffrey Mansion Commission (JMC), which was tasked to “develop a plan for the restoration and possible expansion of the Jeffrey Mansion as a multi-purpose community center.” The Commission’s vision was to preserve the Jeffrey Mansion and its grounds as a vibrant, accessible, and self-sustaining cultural and recreational centerpiece with multiple uses appealing to the diverse population of the Bexley Community.

Architectural firm, Schooley Caldwell and Associates (SCA), was selected to facilitate the master plan refresh process. The need for expansion was due, in part, to a 200 percent increase in community participation in the City’s recreation programming in the past several years; also, the growth of the Jeffrey Mansion Preschool and summer camp programs. The master planning spanned the course of 10 years, and in 2017, the City of Bexley and the Bexley Community Foundation announced moving forward with the Jeffrey Mansion Expansion project.

The 7,500 SF renovation and expansion project was competitively bid to the public market on February 10, 2020 (Monday). Marker Construction was the low bidder; however, the bids were all higher than the City’s budget. We worked with the City to modify the scope and get the project within budget. Within two days, the project was in budget and approved to move forward, and we immediately got to work lining up subcontractors and suppliers. The construction kickoff meeting was on February 13, 2020 (Thursday). Due to upcoming scheduled events at the Mansion as well as the preschool’s schedule, we commenced work with a demolition permit prior to receiving the full permit approval. We mobilized the Monday after the bid, on February 17. On March 1, a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of Jeffrey Mansion drew Bexley city officials, Bexley Community Foundation representatives, and dozens of community members.

A positive experience with our client throughout the building process is our top priority. Although the project stretched longer than expected due to unforeseen conditions and the pandemic, our Project Manager and Superintendent gave the project their full attention to make sure the client was always informed and satisfied with our efforts. We made a point to keep the project team consistent through completion, which often is not the norm in construction anymore.

Our commitment to ensuring that our client — who was not extremely familiar with the construction process — was happy with the progress and the end results, is not an anomaly in this project. It is part of our company’s culture and, no matter who the client is and what level of construction knowledge they have, this approach is extended to all projects.

We are proud to bring the master plan for Jeffrey Mansion to life and be a part of such a meaningful project for the city of Bexley and residents for generations to come.

“We appreciate Marker’s ability to remain flexible and work through the unique challenges and design changes that the mansion presented throughout the construction process. We found them to be responsive throughout the process and a pleasure to work with. The entire community has been excited to see the evolution of the Jeffery Mansion. A number of them have expressed how beautiful the new addition looks and the excitement and amazement of seeing how the new yoga/dance and additional multi-purpose rooms turned out. We have been highly grateful for Marker’s understanding of taking extra precautions during preschool times and accommodating their schedules around their own, especially with the added nuance that COVID threw into the mix early on in the project. Our community is thrilled to have Jeffery Mansion back and open to the public, and we couldn’t have done it without Marker as a valued partner. ”

Michael Price
City of Bexley, Recreation and Parks