West Hartford, CT – Members from Wampanoag Country Club, KBE Building Corporation, Newman Architects, and others recently celebrated a groundbreaking for Wampanoag Country Club’s new clubhouse. The groundbreaking was held on the site of the new facility and took place exactly seven months to the day after fires destroyed the country club’s historic clubhouse.
KBE is the design-builder for the project, and Newman is the architect of record. KBE oversaw the demolition and removal of the 70-year-old structure that was damaged in the April fire.
The new 33,500sf, two-story clubhouse at this private country club will be built of structural steel set on concrete foundations. The design of the new clubhouse includes Shaker-style fiber cement siding, sloped shingle roofs, and interior furnishings to give the facility a classic New England feel. The 3,700sf first level patio with indoor/outdoor bar and 2,400sf rooftop terrace has views of the newly renovated Donald Ross designed golf course. The lower level includes golf bag storage, locker rooms, gym, and kids/game area. The first level provides spaces for dining and functions, a commercial-grade kitchen, and administrative offices. The second level is reserved as a members’ only area with a members’ bar, card room/lounge areas, and a golf simulator room.
At the groundbreaking, Glenn Cunningham, president of the country club, credited the club’s members, the design build team, and the Town of West Hartford for getting the project to its starting point just seven months later. “We were told after the fire by various ‘experts’ that it would take two to three years to rebuild,” he told the gathering of over 50 people. “’We vowed to rebuild, to make our clubhouse better than ever, and to open in 2025. We have made unheard of progress in having a design and a building permit in hand in just seven months.” He called KBE his “secret weapon” in achieving this remarkable progress.
“The new clubhouse design provides for multiple views of the exceptionally beautiful valley and golf course,” said KBE principal, Jim Culkin. “We understand the difficulty for the members in losing a key part of the country club, but we are honored to be part of creating a new facility for the membership that will endure long into the future.”