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Peoria advances schoolhouse arts center and proposes digital water-tower landmark for downtown
Summary
City staff presented designs to council Oct. 7 to renovate a 1906 schoolhouse into a two-room arts center with a small annex and programming budget, and proposed a 35-foot digital 'water tower' entry monument (Yesco) for Ozuna Park; staff said the CIP has $3 million for renovation and council heard public concerns about committee input and removal of existing public art.
Peoria city staff on Oct. 7 detailed plans to preserve and adaptively reuse the 1906 Central School as a two-room arts facility while proposing a new digital water-tower entry monument for downtown.
Mary Lou, the city’s arts, culture and library services director, told the council the schoolhouse — listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the city’s local register — would be reimagined with a north-side gallery and a south-side arts lab. The project includes a roughly 93-square-foot attached annex for restrooms, office and storage; an improved elliptical ADA ramp and surrounding garden; and outdoor programmable space intended for projections, movies and community events. Mary Lou said the CIP currently includes $3,000,000 for the FY26 renovation, with a modest FY27 operating request anticipated and a staffing model designed to run with two on-site employees.
The presentation highlighted design and preservation…
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