Former Little Village Firehouse to Become Community Arts Center
Department of Planning and Development 312.744.9267
A vacant, century-old firehouse in South Lawndale will be repurposed by the National Museum of Mexican Arts (NMMA) as a community center that promotes youth arts through a $1 sale approved by City Council today.
NMMA will rehabilitate the two-story, 8,600-square-foot building as a satellite extension of its main facility in Pilsen. Interior work will create new studio and performance spaces while exterior work will restore the building’s copper cornice and other façade elements.
Located at 2358 S. Whipple St., the former firehouse was constructed in the early 1900s for Fire Department Engine Co. #109 and operated until 2011, when a new firehouse was constructed nearby.
Appraised at $29,000, the reduced sales price will help address extensive environmental issues.
###