Clubhouse Fire Devastates Milburn Country Club

Since its beginnings 93 years ago, Milburn Golf & Country Club has been known as one of the hardest courses in the Kansas City area. Its fast greens and overall course length have long provided a steep challenge for its members and guests.
But when Milburn president Greg Dunn stood on the first tee of his golf course on Nov. 29, he was preparing for a different kind of challenge – one far more serious than sand traps and deep roughs. His back was turned to the course as he eyed the clubhouse, or what was left of it. Raging winds had turned a small fire into full-scale flames that enveloped the building. Smoke stretched into the sky for miles. The clubhouse suffered heavy damage from water, smoke and fire.
“It was kind of surreal watching the whole thing, with all the people around, the fire department and the news crews,” Dunn said. “Seeing a familiar building in flames – I guess surreal would be the word I would use.”
No one was harmed in the fire, as it occurred on a Monday, when the club is closed. The fire began after workers from All Star Roofing Co, Inc. were using a propane torch during repair work on the roof of the clubhouse. Firefighters told the KC Star that the torch caused a small fire around 3:30 p.m., and the roofing crew thought they had put it out.
However, three automatic fire alarms at the club went off nearly an hour later. According to club vice president Bob Fischgrund, the high winds played a huge role in the development of the fire, as they whipped it into a much larger size. After receiving a phone call, Dunn was on the scene by 4:40 p.m., observing the damage to the nearly-century-old club.
By 6 p.m., the fire had been contained, but not without damages.
“The clubhouse, we believe, is a total loss,” Dunn said. “We are going to be able to be able to retrieve some contents from inside, but most of the contents are lost, either from fire, smoke or water. Pictures, artifacts, old golf clubs, trophies, plaques. It’s a big part of the identity of the club. Some of those things are not replaceable.”
Despite all the items that were lost in the flames, the Overland Park Fire Department was able to keep the fire contained to just the clubhouse area after using nearly 3.2 million gallons of water. Members were able to get their personal property out of their lockers, which were located on the ground level, one below where most of the damage occurred.
All of the other areas of the club were safe from damages. The swimming pool area, along with the pool house and snack bar, was safe. The tennis courts were safe. The workout facility was safe. Even the pro shop, located next to the clubhouse and containing merchandise and several hundred sets of golf clubs, survived unscathed.
“Most importantly, all the people are fine,” Fischgrund said. “Not only our members but also employees. Nobody was hurt. None of the houses in the neighborhood were hurt. It’s really pretty amazing for a fire of that magnitude. Other than property damages, there’s really no other damage.”
Moving forward, the club has already rescheduled every one of its winter events to nearby country clubs, including Indian Hills, Kansas City and Mission Hills. A one million dollar renovation was just about to be made to the clubhouse, so the schedule for January through March was relatively empty, according to Fischgrund. Dunn said that the rebuilt clubhouse will be more efficient, from both a functionality and energy-saving standpoint. Fischgrund said that the club does have good insurance, and he’s optimistic that it will be able to cover many of the expenses toward the rebuilt clubhouse.
Though the old clubhouse is gone, the memories it brought were not swept up with the ashes. Dunn recalled many times when he went to his favorite room, the Alibi Room, to watch football and play cards with his friend. His parents celebrated their 40th and 50th anniversaries in the room. Longtime member and East parent Karen Genton like the sunset room upstairs. Junior Adam Lowe loved heading to the grill room area to get a chicken sandwich after a round of golf.
Lowe has been a Milburn member since 1996. He said that he spent a great deal of his youth playing rounds of golf or hanging at the club swimming pool. Though his family has yet to make a decision on whether or not they will remain members, Lowe will always have fond memories of the club.
“It’s been a really positive and good place to spend time at,” Lowe said. “You could almost say that Milburn is a little overlooked in the Kansas City area. The members that are there love it and are very close.”
Genton agrees that there is a very loyal core group of members. Her family has belonged to Milburn since 1991, and she doesn’t anticipate any change during these uncertain times.
“Because of the closeness of the membership, everybody’s going to stick together and we will get through this,” Genton said. “I think there will be a huge following for help. There are so many people that are connected to it; I think people will do whatever they can to help get it back going.”
To keep the loyal membership informed in the aftermath of the fire, Dunn e-mailed daily updates to club members. In addition to determining future plans for the club, Dunn is working hard to ensure the club hangs on to members like Genton and Lowe.
“One of our goals during this period that we’re going to rebuild is to keep our membership in tact,” Dunn said. “But I think we’ll be able to do that. We have a lot of third or fourth generation families there. Some members have gone there for 50-60 years.”
The club will continue to provide services to these members in the coming months, even after the loss of the clubhouse. Dunn said that they are setting up a base of operations for the club and working on finding temporary facilities for members until a new clubhouse is built.
Milburn hopes that dining services will still be offered, albeit in a more limited experience, to members that wish to eat on site. For now, however, there is no food or beverage service, making these jobs unavailable. Dunn said that the club plans to find other positions for the employees whose jobs were lost in the fire.
Mike Casey, a deputy chief of the Overland Park Fire Department, was one of the firemen on the scene the night of the fire.
“It was an iconic structure,” Casey said. “It makes a real impact when you lose such an iconic part of the community with so much history. With it being built in 1917, it’s just a long standing part of the fabric of the community.”
Fischgrund is confident that the club will remain that way, and he doesn’t anticipate a significant drop in membership. The loyal membership and the prospects of being able to build a newer and more modern clubhouse leave him optimistic for the future.
“The club is still alive and well,” Fischgrund said. ”The fire may have destroyed our clubhouse, but it didn’t take down Milburn Country Club.”