Peoria advances schoolhouse arts center and proposes digital water-tower landmark for downtown

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 constraints: staff said they have coordinated with the state historic preservation office and that the annex will be designed to complement, not replicate, the historic schoolhouse. Renderings shown to council and staff indicate a reconfigured interior and an outdoor projection wall tied to downtown events. Staff plans a community engagement campaign beginning in January to collect resident input on programming and exhibits, and an interactive history kiosk with QR codes inside the facility.

Separately, Mary Lou introduced a proposed 35-foot digital water tower, a programmable landmark developed with Yesco, that would display rotating imagery—holiday promotions, local history and civic messaging—on a 360-degree digitized surface. Staff said power and utility constraints guided site selection and identified a pedestrian-friendly location at the end of Ozuna Park as the preferred option because it minimizes new trenching through streets. The proposal would require coordination with Salt River Project for underground utilities and final sign-commission approvals.

Mary Lou told council the proposed water tower would require deaccessioning a nearby piece of public art, Back on Track by Kevin Berry (commissioned 2013). She said staff would document, archive and photograph the removed work and explore relocation options, but also noted that physical removal proved prohibitively costly in at least one prior case and that conservation costs are a factor.

Councilors and staff discussed programmatic goals and marketing: Councilor Bullock asked how small projects like the schoolhouse can fit into a broader downtown strategy to attract residents from across Peoria’s districts; Mary Lou said the schoolhouse is one piece of a larger placemaking effort and emphasized storytelling and cross-promotion with downtown businesses. Council members raised questions about three adjacent outbuildings north of the schoolhouse; staff clarified one outbuilding has plumbing but the three buildings are not on the historic register and are not included in the current CIP scope.

During the public-comment period, resident Eva Osuna said downtown committee members have had limited opportunities for meaningful input on the revitalization plan and flagged concerns about the branding and the water-tower design process. City staff acknowledged those concerns and said community engagement will continue through the January outreach campaign and consultations with the Historic Preservation Commission.

Next steps: staff said design development is underway with a target sign-off around Nov. 10 and that final construction timing is subject to usual procurement and construction risks. The council received the update; no council action or appropriation beyond the existing CIP allocation was taken at the meeting.