Brian Young, owner of B. A. Young, Inc., is opening The Hive and Spiritual Celebration Center at 509 E. State St.
Young is a Huntington native and co-owned an electric company in Huntington before starting his own, B.A. Young Inc. in 2000. Since buying the old 509 Church, Young has been working on renovations to transform it into a multi-purpose center where groups can gather for occasions of all kinds.
There will be a dedication ceremony with a date to be determined that includes a reception including cookies, chips, and refreshments. Everybody is welcome to come.
The building consists of three levels and has a parking lot outside. Each level is dedicated to a family member of Young’s.
On the basement level there is the George Robert Young Family Room, named after Brain Young’s father who died in 1985. It has an occupancy of 68.
There is a ramp for wheelchairs, a 70-inch Roku Tv that can be hooked up to laptops in the event of a presentation or video needing to be shown and a kitchen.
The kitchen can be used for warming and buffet style food, but no cooking. Along the wall there are outlets and counters for crockpots to be plugged in.
There are plans for a Bride’s room near the back steps of the downstairs where the bride could get ready in the case of a wedding.
There is both a men’s and women’s restroom on that level which have been renovated.
Young is currently in the process of renovating the windows on the ground level. There are 52 total windows that needed to be replaced.
These windows will be textured near the altar and stage area to prevent people from looking in while the others will have a stained glass feel to them. Some of the windows have already been installed.
The ground floor is called the Charles and Opal Johnson Chapel dedicated to Young’s mother’s parents. It will seat 175 people.
There is a piano Young is working on getting tuned for recitals or musical events. Future plans include making the chapel wheelchair accessible by the end of 2023.
Proper switches have been installed and all the lights in the chapel can be controlled from a closet in the back of the room. All the lights in the chapel can be dimmed.
There is also a balcony overlooking the chapel with tables and booths. This is the George and Josephine Young Coffee and Ice Cream Social Area. This level can seat 40 people.
This seated eating area allows the space to be used for dinner theatre or other events involving drinks or food. The space will have an espresso machine and a mini freezer for ice cream.
Reserving the family room for four hours will be a minimum donation of $200. Reserving the whole building for a wedding would be a minimum donation of $750. This would cover two days for the event and access to the family room, chapel, and the balcony for both a rehearsal the night before and the actual event.
For other events, pricing is on request depending on what spaces will be used and for how long.
To reserve the building or inquire about a variety of celebrations or ceremonies call 224-4328.
The center can be used for a variety of occasions including, but not limited to, baptisms, weddings, funerals, dinner theatre, recitals, plays, family gatherings, parties, or business seminars.
Currently the center hosts the First Church of Christ for their Sunday morning bible class at 9 am. And singing, preaching, communion at 10 a.m. and Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. for bible study.
Jim Snabl who runs the meetings said, “Questions and discussions are encouraged in both class/study times as we dig into God’s infallible word together and learn how the bible has the power to direct our steps and change our lives.”
Anyone is welcome to join them or welcome to reserve the family room, chapel, or entire building for their own group meetings or special occasions.
Young originally bought the old church building for his own large family occasions but has since remodeled it for community use as well.
“What would your group like to do? How would you like to utilize our celebration center? What makes you happy? That’s the way I’ve looked at it,” Young said.
“I want to make it a place where anybody can come and do any kind of party or spiritual event that they would like to do.”
The name “The Hive” originally came from Young’s family growing up. When his brother, Bob, was in second grade his friend asked what his brothers names were. He listed the names, Brian, Barry, Brent, Brad, and Bill. That friend responded with the description of the brothers as a ‘proper beehive.’
“And the name stuck, so ever since first grade I have been called beehive,” Young said. “I have embraced it now and that’s why I named this The Hive.”
The Hive continues a long legacy of Young’s in Huntington. Young’s family has been in Huntington since the 1840’s with Adam Young who was said to have been the first German settler in Huntington.
Young would send money back to Germany until the time the rest of his family could join him. You can find more details in the Huntington Public Library Local history books.
