THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | FRIDAY, MAY 16, 2008
Central Move Set For May 28
By RICHARD MAYER
Journal Reporter
After six years of fundraising and numerous delays and revisions, the Mt. Prospect Historical Society will finally move its 1896 Central Schoolhouse on Wednesday, May 28.
Central School was listed on Landmarks Illinois' Chicagoland Watch List for 2007-08 and was in danger of being demolished if it was not moved.
The building will be moved about a half-mile down Main Street to its new home next door to the Mt. Prospect Historical Society on Maple Street.
"This is a great building with a huge amount of community support for the campaign to save it," said Gavin Kleespies, executive director of the Society. "It will certainly be quite an event when it is moved."
Kleespies said the move could take between 4-5 hours, depending on how much work is completed the day before. He also said once the school is moved to its new location, additional fundraising will be required to renovate the school.
A celebration with food and beverages will be held the following day at Village Hall to thank everyone who was involved in saving the schoolhouse. The event is open to the public.
Some facts about the school include:
* Central School is a one-room schoolhouse that was the first public school in Mt Prospect.
* Built in 1896 in the Italianate-style by a local carpenter, William Wille. Cook County Commissioner William Busse, who later went on to be the first mayor of Mt. Prospect, was the political force behind the creation of the school and Mt. Prospect Elementary School Dist. 57, which still serves the community today.
* From the beginning, the building was more than just a schoolhouse, it was also the first home to the Mt. Prospect Public Library, the Mt. Prospect Volunteer Fire Dept., the Woman's Club, Campfire Girls, the Mt. Prospect Improvement Association, and three different churches.
Additionally, the letters of incorporation, legally forming the Village of Mt. Prospect, were signed inside the building in 1917.
This is the second time the building has been moved. It was moved from the corner of Main Street and Central Road in 1939 to make space for the expansion of a larger school. This move will bring the Central School back to its original neighborhood.
The Mt. Prospect Historical Society, an independent non-profit organization, has been raising funds to save the building since 2002. The Historical Society has brought in support from 700 donors in 30 different communities and 10 different states.