POSITIVELY CHILLICOTHE

Pump House marks 25 years, eyes future

Chris Balusik
Reporter

CHILLICOTHE - It's hard for most visitors today to envision the condition of the Pump House Center for the Arts when it opened 25 years ago in Yoctangee Park.

Carmen Lynn, left, visits the museum with her grandchildren, Virginia Suardi, center, and Sofia Suardi, who were visiting from Washington, D.C., Thursday, July 21, 2016, at Pump House Center for the Arts.

The memory's still fresh, however, for Pump House founder Ted Fickisen as the gallery prepares to mark its silver anniversary.

"The first exhibit we ever had here, we had a dirt floor and we hung artwork from peg boards and used clamp-on lights to illuminate it," he said. "Now, one person told me they were at the Columbus Museum of Art and mentioned the Pump House in Chillicothe and the director knew exactly what they were talking about. That really brought interest to me and other people that the director of the Columbus Museum of Art knew about our little gallery."

That "little gallery" almost didn't make it into existence. About 30 years ago, the Pump House was in the crosshairs for demolition, having served several functions since its construction in 1883 that included its original purpose as an actual pump house, a city storehouse for road salt and a haunted house operated for a time by the Chillicothe Jaycees during the 1970s as that organization attempted to raise money to restore it. Staining from the road salt on some of the structure's interior brick work remains as a reminder of its past.

"That's the tragedy of so many of these old, exquisite buildings," said Pump House board member Ardis McCain. "People don't have the sense to preserve them. ... Without having a vision to look at this building and see the beauty in it and how it can contribute so much to the whole entire community by not destroying it, for goodness sake. When you destroy your history, what do you have?"

"Ted rescued the Pump House," fellow board member Marcia Rodgers said.

The Pump House

The building had grabbed Fickisen's interest as demolition talk swirled around it.

"I walked around this building so many times and I saw the beauty of this architecture because when I started in college, I wanted to be an architect," he said. "I just knew it couldn't be destroyed, and I saw something needed to be done with it and that it could be used as an art gallery. That was the potential that I saw needed to be done."

Realizing that potential was going to be a gamble. Major portions of the roof needed significant work, the foundation was crumbling, there were no permanent floors and Fickisen said the walls were basically being held together with steel cables.

With the legal help of attorney Jim Barrington, Fickisen went before the City Council to convince the board he could save the structure. He then approached the Chillicothe Art League and Chillicothe Restoration Foundation to get their support and help with fundraising — an effort that took five years to reach the dedication on Aug. 3, 1991, for which the 25th anniversary is being celebrated.

Fickisen said downtown Chillicothe has developed a vibrant arts community, and he believes the Pump House — which has not charged admission to its galleries since the day it opened and is operated by volunteer — has played a significant role in that.

"From the beginning, when the Pump House opened, it has been a catalyst for art downtown," he said. "Not only that, but people who are interested in the arts, we see it here with the receptions that we have. Every day we do a count of people coming in and signing our guest book, and we have people coming in from all over — not only the United States but other countries. We have new (arts-related) shops coming downtown."

With 25 years behind it, those involved with the Pump House are looking toward what may be for the next 25. With about $130,000 built into the next state biennium budget if the needed local funds can be secured, officials are hoping to usher a $650,000 expansion project into reality that would grow the facility with additional classroom and gallery space to feature both traditional and performing arts and a cafe. The updates also would allow multiple rentals or community functions to be going on at the same time.

The effort, when the state money is included in the total, has raised roughly half of the needed amount.

While fundraising continues, gallery officials will host an informal 25th anniversary gathering from 3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 7 for members, founders and community dignitaries to gather and look back at the past quarter century and what the facility has meant to them. Fickisen will be among those discussing with visitors its personal significance for him.

"Just seeing all of the activity that has brought the Pump House all together," he said. "The art exhibits, the joy that the Pump House has brought to all the people of the community, the activities this has all brought and seeing this building saved."

Workers for Ingle Barr Inc. get the interior of the Pump House ready for the dedication and art festival in 1991.