Funds to Help Gibson City Restoration Association Restore Landmark Building
The Gibson City Restoration Association’s efforts to restore the Burwell Opera House in downtown Gibson City hit a high note when it was recently awarded a $20,000 RISE grant from Earthrise Energy.
Founded in 2019, the nonprofit group has been working to restore the 140-year-old historic building located on North Sangamon Avenue in between Eight and Ninth streets. The community grant will be used primarily to repair masonry work on the two-story building. “The west wall of the building is crumbling before our eyes, but now we can get it repaired this year thanks to Earthrise Energy. We appreciate the Earthrise Energy team for taking the time to learn about Gibson City and understanding the importance of restoring the Burwell Building to revitalize our downtown,” said Sharon Heavilin, Gibson City Restoration Association President. “Because of Earthrise Energy and other donors, the story of the Burwell Opera House isn’t over.”
In its storied history, the building has been home to an opera house, a furniture store, an undertaking business, a funeral chapel, library, Masonic temple, dentist’s office, a real estate office, a variety store, and a Dollar General store before closing its doors.
“When we heard about the association’s efforts to restore the iconic landmark and its potential impact on downtown, we were excited to see how we could support the project,” said Ellie Ginis, Project Developer of Earthrise Energy. “We hope this RISE Grant will help the association fulfill its goal, and the Burwell Building reopens its doors in the near future.”
Earthrise Energy owns and operates five natural gas plants in Illinois, including the Gibson City Energy Center in Gibson City, the Shelby County Energy Center in Neoga, and the Tilton Energy power plant. The company is also proposing to build several solar projects in central Illinois, including a 135-megawatt facility northwest of Gibson City. Earthrise Energy launched its RISE Grant program to help fund local initiatives that promote excellence in education, protect the environment, and support the communities
where Earthrise Energy has operations.
According to Heavilin, the grant award from Earthrise Energy will help fund phase one of the restoration project that includes the masonry work, which will be completed by next May. Phase two of the project will include repairing and restoring the interior of the building, including adding a new façade for the retail storefront and installing new lighting and HVAC systems. Once all restoration work is completed, the building will be used as an event center, business incubator, and Airbnb.
“We are proud to support the association in its role of preserving the history of Gibson City and the community’s identity,” said Earthrise Energy Director of Development Emre Ozmen. “We hope these efforts will continue to support the vibrant community spirit reflected in the association’s work.”
For more information about the Gibson City Restoration Association and its work, go to
About Earthrise Energy
Earthrise Energy, PBLLC, is an independent power producer with a mission to reduce power sector greenhouse gas emissions faster than ever before. The company acquires, owns, and operates legacy fossil fuel assets and repurposes the transmission infrastructure for renewable energy development projects, bringing them online faster than typical greenfield renewable energy projects. Earthrise has 1.7 GW of gas-fired generation capacity and has a solar development pipeline of more than 1.5 GW. For more information about Earthrise Energy, go to earthriseenergy.com.
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