Former Henry Pfeiffer Library now an elegant event venue
By Ben Cox
Eric Jokisch spent much of his youth and most of his adult life playing baseball. Jokisch graduated as valedictorian from Virginia High School in 2007 and was drafted in the 39th round of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft that year.
He decided to not accept the contract and instead went to Northwestern University in Evanston. In 2010, the Chicago Cubs drafted him in the 11th round and he was off to the minor leagues. Jokisch received what’s called “a cup of coffee” of four appearances on the rebuilding Cubs in 2014. By 2016, he found himself on the waiver wire and then it was off to the Miami Marlins organization. The stay with the Marlins was brief as he would be traded to the Texas Rangers organization later in the year. Jokisch would elect free agency at the end of year and then spend the following year between the Triple-A affiliates of the Arizona Diamondback and Oakland Athletics.
In November 2018, Jokisch’s trip to South Korea started his six-year journey as one of the top foreign pitchers in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). Jokisch was a 2019 All-Star in the KBO and would win the earned-run average title in 2020 and was the 2021 league leader in wins.
During his time in Korea, Jokisch pitched 812 innings with 624 strikeouts, 59 wins and a career ERA of 2.99 between the Kiwoom Heroes and NC Dinos.
Jokisch’s second chapter began in that final season in 2024 when his wife, Kayla, gave him a call at 2 a.m. overseas asking about a real estate deal. Kayla Jokisch says it was love at first site stepping into the Henry Pfeiffer Library of the now-closed MacMurray College: “I walked through it and I was like, ‘I need this, and I think we could turn it into something really cool.’ But [Eric] was gone in Korea playing baseball. So I called him, it was probably like 2 a.m. there and I was like, ‘We need to buy this building right now.’ And he was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ And I was like, ‘No, I’m not.’ And he’s like, ‘All right, we’ll do it.’
We bought it, and then we brought Ryan Turner and his guys in and they started the process and I think we signed in October 2024 and now we’re here in a pretty quick turnaround.”
While work was still underway on the library, Eric Jokisch finished his final season in Korea and returned home and began helping with renovations. In March, Michael Hayes announced his plans to renovate Annie Merner Chapel with some major overhauls. Work had begun inside the chapel to remove some of the older seating. Hayes had plans to level the concrete floor and possibly to rip up portions of the stage and remove the chapel’s historic organ. That’s when the Jokisches decided to approach Hayes about purchasing the chapel.
Eric Jokisch says it all started with a phone call to Perry Case and Josh Beckman about their ministry that was looking for a permanent location. “From our end, we had always thought the chapel would be a great place for us to have because [the library] was going to be a wedding reception venue,” Jokisch explains, “It would be amazing to have the church or the chapel there as a place for ceremonies. We felt when we first looked at it that one day a week occasionally was not enough to be able to sustain it, to sustain the building. And so over time, we started to hear about Perry and Josh and Ryan [Turner]’s kind of plans for a church and we just felt like, okay, now this could be something here. This could be what that chapel needs. I think it’s built to have a church and to also be able to have weddings there, too. When their ministry kind of came together, I think that was the kind of tipping point on, okay, let’s see if we can make this happen.”
Eric Jokisch says it was a leap of faith on everyone’s part to make the purchase and go all in on the renovations, events and church services. The chapel has been full every weekend since it was opened for services.
Kayla Jokisch says that if people are looking to plan a wedding, they can book both venues and then walk across Rutledge lawn before and after vows have been said, “The idea is basically to be a one-stop shop for brides and to be able just to walk across the lawn and use the whole space. The idea is to use everything that’s here. It feels like it was made for that.” She says that since the purchase of both locations that they have received nothing but positive compliments and connections both past and present to both buildings.
Eric Jokisch says that the family venture is now time for him to step behind his wife and let her display her talents to the world, “I feel like this has brought us a new life here in the community. It was something that came together quickly during my final year in Korea. I’m 36 now, and I kind of knew [my baseball career] was coming to a close. The question was, what do we do after? I think this is great for Kayla. I think she supported me for so long with baseball that this is my opportunity to support her and what she is great at and believes in. She’s done an amazing job. And so this is a huge, huge part of what the future is for us.”
Kayla Jokisch says that much of the major work done on the buildings can’t really be seen by the naked eye. “I’m sure Ryan Turner and his crew think differently about all the work they’ve done,” she explains, “I wasn’t up there hanging chandeliers with them, but pretty much everything you see from the wood to the shelves is all original. We didn’t touch any of that stuff. When we first walked into the building, it wasn’t in perfect condition but you could see the potential. You just feel it when you’re here. I just wanted for the Mac community and those who have connections here and call it their home, I didn’t want to take any of that away.”
The Jokisches didn’t put a dollar amount on the renovations but said they did what they needed to do to make it a viable event space, and are continuing to add money and renovations to keep the place alive and moving forward with all of its original essence and charm.
As Kayla Jokisch has said on the venue’s Facebook page and now in person, this is the next chapter for their family and for the buildings. For many new couples, it will be their first chapter. Like all great books, the story continues.
