Daniel McDonald wanted to get married in the mountains.
He envisioned a Highlands-esque setting for his wedding, but McDonald couldn’t imagine his or his now-wife, Karah’s grandparents and great-grandparents making the trip into the hills without cellphone service.
It led the couple to look closer to home in Suffolk. The more McDonald looked around, the more the Planter's Club and its view over the Nansemond River made perfect sense.
“We put all this effort into finding a location up in the mountains and often feel kind of silly, because the best choice was under our noses the whole time,” McDonald said.
The Planter's Club is a monument to one of the most beautiful nights in his life, he said, and he’s sad to hear the century-old building may be at the end of its life without help.
The Planter's Club is revered by many, a wedding and events venue for decades. Amedeo Obici built it in 1925 on his Bay Point Farm, near his home and dairy farm, now Sleepy Hole Park and Golf Course.
According to a 1937 Suffolk News-Herald article, it was initially organized as a social club for “practically all white employees” of Obici’s Planters Nut & Chocolate Co.
The clubhouse was used for fundraisers, club events and speeches. Obici’s heirs sold the property to the Richard Bennett Trust in 1980. A 1980 News-Herald article stated fewer than 100 of the company’s 1,400 employees used it.
The city leased the property for 20 years starting in 1985 before purchasing it.
Engineers estimate it would cost about $4.5 million to renovate, bring it up to code and improve accessibility to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A new structure would cost about $5.1 million.
Suffolk staff noticed a separation between the clubhouse’s walls and ceiling in 2023. Staff followed engineers’ recommendations to bracket and stabilize the ceiling. But, in April 2024, staff noticed the separation worsening and called engineers from McPherson Design Group to inspect the building. The main roof was significantly sagging, the trusses were separating and the walls were bowing because of pressure and are now permanently deformed.
Marcos Freeman, a McPherson structural engineer, said in a recent city council meeting that the building's wood is experiencing “long-term creep” because of its age.
“The building is literally coming apart,” Freeman said.
Suffolk condemned the building, leaving several event planners scrambling, including McDonald, who also works planning events for the city’s clean community commission.
“It left this mad dash of several dozen, if not a hundred people, running around looking for a venue on any date that’s available on short notice,” he said.
Supports were put in place to keep the trusses from collapsing. However, further inspection showed that the indoor balconies drooped and water in the basement and crawl space had deteriorated the floor joints, 50% of which would need to be reinforced.
The mechanical and plumbing systems need to be replaced; Dominion no longer offers its electrical system and repairs would require connecting a new service line to the building, among other upgrades.
City Council has not decided to renovate the Planter's Club or replace it and the project isn’t in Suffolk’s capital improvements plan. The clubhouse is not registered as a historic property, which would open the door for tax credits or preservation money to help with renovations.
Councilmember Timothy Johnson was hurt to hear how much the club had deteriorated.
“I spent my youth at the Planter's Club,” he said. “But we’ve got to do what’s in the best interest of our city moving into the future.”
Councilmember John Rector said the cost difference means it might be better to opt for a new structure incorporating elements such as the clubhouse’s indoor balcony. Mayor Mike Duman said that since the building had been shored up, they had time to consider all their options.
Jennifer Berube hopes Suffolk can find a way to keep the clubhouse intact.
“That’s not only a part of Suffolk history,” she said, “but it’s part of my personal history.”
Berube married her husband, Brian, on the clubhouse’s lawn in 2018. She learned about the venue after seeing photos from a friend’s wedding at the venue. The images left a big impression, and the Berubes now live 3 minutes away. Jennifer still walks to the property occasionally.
“It’s one of those moments in time that will ever be ingrained in my heart and in my mind,” Berube said. “It would be sad to see that go away.”
While she understands the financial considerations of the city, she’s hoping Suffolk will find a way to preserve the 100-year-old structure in time for her 10-year vow renewal.
