Since we bought the Burwell Building last year, we've gotten many questions about what the future use of the building might be. People want to know what it will be used for - rightfully so! They want to know that it will contribute to the downtown area and that it will be used in a way that benefits Gibson City. Even the grants we have applied for are asking for this information - groups giving us money want to know that it will go towards a good cause and a purpose that they believe in.
As we have discussed this over the last year as a board, we've thrown around several ideas. We knew it was time where 'the rubber meets the road' and we needed to get something solidified as to the future purpose. At our last board meeting, we put those thoughts to paper. And, we approved a future plan for the Burwell Building. We are so excited to share our plans with you!
Upstairs
We all agreed that we want to see the upstairs restored to be an Opera Hall again. The ‘grand hall’ will be restored to be a large event space. This will allow it to be rented out for various events, including weddings, parties, business meetings, live music events, etc. We plan to keep as much of the original details of the grand hall as possible, including restoring the beautiful wood trim that adorns it's walls and ceilings. We'll add ADA accessible bathrooms and an elevator. The upstairs rooms on the East side of the building (facing Sangamon Avenue) will be turned into Airbnb rentals. We will create 3 bedrooms each with their own bathrooms.
The kitchen area on the south end of the floor, will be restored to a kitchen space that all occupants share (including anyone renting the grand hall). The room to the West of the kitchen will be a smaller meeting space or dining area. It can be rented for smaller events that don’t require the space that the ‘grand hall’ provides such as business meetings, baby/wedding showers, rehearsal dinners, etc.
Downstairs
The downstairs is a large open area of 5,000 square feet. As with the upstairs, we are going to try to save as many of the original details as we can, including the tin ceilings and crown molding. The downstairs will also need ADA accessible bathrooms and a kitchen area.
The plan for the downstairs is that it be used as a business incubator. A business incubator is an organization that helps new and startup businesses to develop by providing services such as management training, office space, access to financing, and networking opportunities. We would lease the downstairs to a newly formed business, provide coaching and support to them as they are getting their business started. As they get established, then we would then help them find a more permanent location. This will allow us to move on to the next business startup that is interested in our services. We are currently reaching out to potential partners to help us get the business incubator off the ground.
We hope you are as excited about our future state as we are! We've put a lot of thought into this and hope to see it get off the ground successfully in the coming years. There is so much that still needs to be done between now and then, but we are confident we will get there.
We will be sharing more details in the coming months. Please check back often and subscribe to our site so you can get the latest updates! And, if you are interested in helping us achieve this dream, please reach out to us at GCRestorationAssociation@gmail.com. This 'dream' is going to take a village, but what better village to make it a reality!!
"Nothing happens unless first a dream!"
~ Carl Sandburg ~
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