A former Little Village Library is about to have a new lease on life. Latinos Progresando, a nonprofit specializing in legal aid for immigrants, leads the project to convert the abandoned space into a community center to be completed by next spring.
The site, located at 2724 W Cermak Road in the Little Village neighborhood, was formally the Marshall Square Library. The Marshall Square library branch has been closed since November 2009. After this closure, the branch was replaced with another located at 2311 S Kedzie Avenue in 2011.
Community partners and investors joined leaders from Latinos Progresando to commemorate the groundbreaking on Friday. The nonprofit reportedly bought the site from the city for $1. This new community center will be the headquarters for Latinos Progresando and will feature a new office, mental health services provided by Esperanza Health, as well as afterschool and summer programs provided by the Lincoln Park Zoo for nearby students. CANOPY is acting as the architectural partner on this project and has ensured that this project will be one of Chicago’s first “fully-electrical” community buildings. This means that no gas or other carbon fuels will be used on site.
Rendering of the Upcoming Community Center Courtesy of CANOPY
Officials said they expect the project to be completed by next spring. The future community center will be a welcome addition as the building has been vacant since 2009.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Be the first to comment on "Former Little Village Library to be Converted Into New Community Center"