Lakeside's Pavilion is damaged by fire

Lakeside official Tom Derby views the pavilion, a hub of the Chatauqua community. The fire was discovered at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday. THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY Enlarge | Photo Reprints

LAKESIDE, Ohio -- The well-known and oft-photographed pavilion where visitors to this Chautauqua community reach Lake Erie was damaged by fire Tuesday night, but officials say it will be rebuilt before the summer season opens in May.

Tom Derby, Lakeside's chief financial officer, said the fire was contained, no one was injured, and the building was insured. Still, it's troubling for year-round residents as well as for visitors who have an affinity for the quiet community on the Marblehead peninsula.

"People that live here love Lakeside. These buildings are their buildings," Mr. Derby said. "They're Lakesiders. We all are, and from that aspect it's always a sad event, but we're lucky no one was hurt. The fire department salvaged as much as they could."

A cause has not been determined for the fire, which was discovered about 8:15 p.m. by Andy Larson, a guard employed by the Lakeside Association to patrol the grounds. He called 911 and "took a stab at attempting to put the fire out but it spread pretty quickly," Mr. Derby said.

The fire apparently began on the east of the pavilion in a stairwell that leads to a second-floor meeting room. The Lakeside Fire Department was on the scene within five minutes or so, followed by firefighters from Marblehead and Catawba Island Township.

All was quiet there Wednesday other than a steady trickle of cars pulling up to see the damage. Most viewers seem satisfied that the majority of the structure was unharmed.

Lisa Luecke Ottman walked over to take some pictures. The Dayton resident said she was home at a friend's house she's renting for the winter just outside the Lakeside gates when she heard the sirens. "I just thought, send a prayer, something's going on. It never occurred to me it was something in our dear Lakeside," she said.

Ms. Ottman said she's been coming to Lakeside with her family since she was an infant. The fire, she said, "reminds us how special Lakeside is and how we don't want to see any part of it hurt. It's a unique place you can't really explain to people unless they've been here. …

"I always say your blood pressure comes down about 10 degrees just coming through the gates."

Lisa Luecke Ottman THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY Enlarge | Photo Reprints

A gated community from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Lakeside is accessible to the public the rest of the year. Mr. Derby said the association has a full-time security staff and very few problems. He estimated 200 of the 900 properties are lived in year-round, and the rest are summer homes or rentals.

Although most of the houses and buildings are built of wood, very few have been destroyed by fire.

In 2003, a train depot that was being restored was heavily damaged by fire that was thought to have been electrical.

Mr. Derby described the pavilion as "one of the hubs" of Lakeside -- an iconic structure on par with the Hotel Lakeside and Hoover Auditorium, albeit much newer. The pavilion, which serves as an entrance to the pier and swimming beach, has taken different forms over the years and was most recently rebuilt in the late 1980s to resemble the original pavilion, he said.

During the summer, a Sunday morning church service is held at the pavilion, which ushers visitors to the lakefront for fishing, swimming, sunbathing, and sailing classes.

"There's always lots of activity there," Mr. Derby said, adding, "Once the dust settles, we'll have contractors come in and rebuild it. By Memorial Day, we'll have it ready to go."

Contact Jennifer Feehan at: jfeehan@theblade.com or 419-724-6129.