Weldon Pavilion gets new life

What’s old is new again.

Parts of one of Chelsea’s most historic buildings have a new home at the Chelsea Sports Complex off Shelby County 11.

For years, the Weldon General Store sat in the middle of town, yards away from the current City Hall location. From the 1940s until the 1980s, G.W. Weldon and other members of his family ran the store.

Several years ago, a plan to reroute Shelby County 39 had the new road running right through the middle of the store.

Mayor Tony Picklesimer said that, combined with the fact that the building was already in a horrible state of disrepair, led him to the decision to take it down.

“It has a tremendous history in the city of Chelsea, and I understand and appreciate that,” Picklesimer said. “I think I’ve demonstrated that through my actions. I then asked, ‘How do we take it down and still honor its history?’”

It was decided that instead of knocking the building down, it would be disassembled, and the wood and other parts of it would be used in another way in the future.

A citizen recommended to the mayor that the wood be used to build a pavilion, and Picklesimer said as soon as he heard the suggestion, he knew that’s what he wanted to do.

“We engaged with an architect to draw it and put together a scheme for the pavilion,” he said. “We didn’t know at the time where it would go. When we got started working on phase two of the athletic complex on Highway 11 and I saw the hillside right above the lake, I knew that’s where it would go. It’s such a perfect place with a gorgeous view.”

Although it’s at the ballpark, it’s not in the ballpark — events can take place there even when games are scheduled. There will be a fishing lake in front of it and a walking track all the way around.

The front of the pavilion is original to the old store, as well as the archway in the rear of the pavilion. Picklesimer said he had never been upstairs in the Weldon store until it was being prepared for disassembly. That’s when he went upstairs and saw the walls and ceiling were an arch. He then told the contractor to add the disassembling of the wood and archway to the contract to keep that part intact.

Also original to the Weldon Pavilion are the front windows, front door, red screen doors and a large beam that goes across the ceiling.

“It has got bits and pieces throughout, but most of the front facia is from the old store,” Picklesimer said. “I tried to honor the history of the old building in the construction of the new building.”

The Weldon Pavilion can be booked for events at no charge. Amenities include ceiling fans, restrooms, vending machines, inside tables, benches and charcoal grills.

Two granddaughters of G.W. Weldon Jr., the 12th of 13 Weldon children, said they are thankful the city chose to put so much money and effort into the new project.

Denise Weldon Smith drove her mother, Sarah Weldon (wife of G.W. Weldon Jr.), to see the pavilion in May and said her dad, who passed away in March, would have been pleased with the finished project.

She said their family is very grateful.

“I got teary-eyed because it looked like the old store,” Smith said. “When the Weldons sold land to the city, we didn’t have any say in it, so I’m grateful the city took the time and money to do that.”

Her sister, Dawn Weldon Arnold, said after her grandfather passed away, her aunt took over running the store. When they were growing up, that’s where they played each summer.

“It was a great place,” Arnold said. “It meant a lot to us but meant a lot to Chelsea and people who grew up here and passed through. It’s a great memory for everybody.”