By Ron Brohm

Contributing writer

RUSSELLS POINT — The new Cobblestone Inn at Indian Lake has finally broken ground.

Construction has been underway since early November of last year.

The Indian Lake community has had a hotel on its wish list for years and it now finally looks like that dream is coming to fruition.

The $8.4 million hotel is said to be the largest development project at Indian Lake since the turn of the last century when the amusement park was built.

The Russells Point Village Council unanimously approved all aspects of this project. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Nov. 6, 2023 which took place at the hotel construction site at the southeast corner of the intersection of Route 33 and Lincoln Boulevard in Russells Point, 448 East Main Street (near the McDonald’s).

Much progress has been made in a relatively short period of time and construction crews have been working throughout the winter.

BriMark Builders LLC, a division of Cobblestone Inc., is overseeing the construction using numerous local sub-contractors. A group of 14 investors, mostly connected locally to Indian Lake and led by Mike Major, a renowned artist from Urbana, have committed to the funding for the multi-million dollar project.

The investors met at the Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce a number of times over many months to bring this long sought after project to the reality stage. Currently there are no hotels within 9 miles of the lake.

“We believe this hotel will serve a well-documented need, spur more quality development around the lake and expand Indian Lake activities year-round,” said Major.

“I (recently) met with the head of BriMark Construction, Stuart Sell, who was in from Wisconsin. Dan Woets, our site manager, was there as well. I am very pleased with the progress and the quality of workmanship,’” said Major. “Electrical work has begun and roof covering (has begun). All windows are in except for one on each floor to allow for drywall and other deliveries. We do not have an exact opening date but it may be October, far ahead of the Bellefontaine Cobblestone,” Major added.

Major serves as president of the Russells Point Hotel Group and saw a similar need for a hotel in Urbana, which has been operating since April of 2021. Major co-led that Urbana development effort with Terry Howell along with seven like-minded investors from the Urbana area.

Major has just recently been asked to serve on Cobblestone’s national advisor board. Headquartered in Neenah, Wisconsin, Cobblestone Hotels has expanded to over 162 units in 29 states and is known as one of the fastest growing hotel brands in the country.

“The Urbana Cobblestone Inn has served our community well and we believe it also to be an important factor in attracting economic development including new factories to town,” Major added.

“For the Russells Point property we did two feasibility studies and both came back very strong. We believe this property will fill a great need and also boost tourism in the off-season,” said Major.

“This hotel is a community effort and I believe it’s a piece of the puzzle that creates a domino effect for growth, tourism and economic development at Indian Lake,” Major added.

The hotel will accommodate nightly, weekend, weekly and extended stays with some “long stay units” featuring a kitchen, living room and separate bedroom.

The hotel will be a 54-room facility spanning three stories and will host an indoor pool, on-site fitness center, business center and onsite convenience store. Many rooms will have views of the lake.

Guests will also be able to enjoy Cobblestone’s many amenities, such as 24-hour Seattle’s Best Coffee service, high-speed internet access, and a complimentary hot breakfast each morning. Guest rooms will be equipped with flat-panel televisions, refrigerators, microwaves, and in-room personal coffee brewers.

Additionally, cocktails will be offered and local wines will be served at the hotel.

Major and his wife Jane are deeply rooted in Urbana, moving here in the mid-1970s for Mike to serve as an artist-in-residence for the former college and the county schools.

“Our intention was to stay one year before moving back to New York, which is where I felt I needed to be for my art career. But we fell in love with the people and environment of Champaign County, including Urbana’s architecture and Urbana College, and we’ve been here ever since,” said Major.

Major has completed over 200 bronze sculptures including large public monuments and small limited edition castings. Those monuments include life-size and larger than life monuments of historic figures such as Simon Kenton, William Tecumseh Sherman, Abraham Lincoln, George Rogers Clark, Mother Alfred Moes (founder of the Mayo Clinic) and many more.

He studied art at the Dayton Art Institute from the sixth grade through his senior year of high school, has a BS, Summa Cum Laude from Ohio University and an MFA from Pratt Institute, New York.

Major founded Main Graphics in 1988 in part to publish books of drawings. After 33 years he sold the company recently to Boldman Printing.

He continues to spend most of his time at his art studio at 119 Miami Street along with the Champaign County Arts Council and his daughter Sarah Mackert, an architect.

Major has published 14 books of drawings and was honored by the Ohio Legislature for his service as Ohio’s first artist in residence for the Ohio Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts.

His home and studio have been featured on HGTV and he has been a guest on NPR.

Ron Brohm is an Outdoors, Tourism, Parks, Automotive & Aviation Journalist/Author and writes for the Urbana Daily Citizen and other AIM Media Midwest newspapers and several national magazines. He is also a Certified Parks & Recreation Professional (CPRP), serves as the Park Commissioner for the City of Riverside & is the Executive Director of the Great Ohio Outback Wilderness Regional Authority