CROWN POINT: Building dedicated
to Harold Wheeler
It was an emotional night for family and
friends of Harold Wheeler.
Despite the dark clouds and bouts of rain,
hundreds of people gathered Thursday on
the land where Harold and his wife, Martha
Wheeler, once farmed corn, soybeans and
wheat, to mark the transformation of the
couple's old barn into the Harold Wheeler
Community Center.
Wheeler, a descendant of Crown Point founder
Solon Robinson and a well-known community
leader, died last year.
"This is an appropriate way to recognize
him," said Wheeler's longtime friend
Joe Nerney.
The Wheelers sold the property to Olthof
Homes about a year and a half ago. At the
time, it had several buildings on it, including
a farmhouse and the old, red barn, which
was built in 1938.
After looking at the barn, developer Todd
Olthof said he knew it had lasting value.
He decided to restore it and use it as a
theme for the architecture of homes in the
new Pentwater subdivision, located south
of 113th Avenue.
The barn was open to the public for the
first time Thursday during a Pentwater open
house event. Olthof pointed out where stables
once stood inside the barn, which has had
all of its inside walls removed and its
hay loft refurbished. The company spent
more than $100,000 on the building, which
will be available to Pentwater residents
for events.
"Harold liked to have fun," Olthof
said. "That's what we want people to
do with this barn."
At a dedication ceremony, Crown Point Mayor
Dan Klein read from a plaque installed outside
the building that describes Harold and his
life's work.
Clutching a tissue, Martha Wheeler thanked
the group for coming.
"(Harold) was my best friend and my
-- well, he was just -- we had a wonderful
relationship," she said. "He certainly
earned this distinction."
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