The start of something big

In honor of Town Square’s 10th anniversary, we will be sharing notable moments in our history leading up to the anniversary on June 25. As part of the original team working to find a way to repurpose the former courthouse, Lynn Grout met with varied groups interested in bringing more opportunities to Green Lake. It was at a meeting at Lynn’s home that the ideas came together to form the plan for what would become Town Square Community Center.

When the Green Lake County government offices relocated to a new facility in 2011, Lynn Grout and a group of area residents saw an opportunity. A 112-year-old, red-bricked, white-columned opportunity. 

“When the county decided to move, the question became ‘What do we do with this huge building in the middle of town?’ It needed a lot of updating and ongoing maintenance, but we couldn’t just let it sit empty,” Lynn says.

Lynn, who had founded Special Properties two decades prior, had been meeting with different groups of people interested in revitalizing Green Lake. 

“At that time, the town had gotten so dead. Having a big empty building in the middle of town wasn’t going to help things,” Lynn says. “We actually didn't know what we would do with it at first, but we knew we wanted to bring people together to get to know each other and interact. There was nothing connecting everybody. There was nothing inclusive.”

Lynn hosted gatherings at her home with different small groups to discuss ways to make Green Lake more vibrant and repurpose the courthouse. Many different ideas were considered, from a YMCA to an arts center. 

“Through my real estate business, I was in touch with new people coming to town. We had gatherings at my house and would bring different groups of people together to brainstorm. We needed to be clustering around a dining room table eating and talking. 

“The old courthouse seemed like the perfect place to have a main meeting space. You can have all the dinner parties you want, but there needs to be a central place to gather. It seemed like it was meant to be.”

The idea of a community center, focusing on fitness, education and the arts, was formalized at one of the gatherings at Lynn’s home in November 2011. The hope was that such a community center would attract young people to Green Lake, create a stronger sense of community and offer opportunities not often found in small towns. With a clear business plan in place, the group proposed purchasing the building from the county in April 2012 and repurposing it as the community center they envisioned.

“There was a court hearing in May and we bought the courthouse for $1. We convinced the county that we could make this place important to the town which it certainly has been,” Lynn says.

“By the first summer the buzz was going, but It was step by step because it was a huge undertaking. People loved the idea of making it into a community center and what it has become is even more than we ever imagined. I’m still so excited about what Town Square has become.”

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