Tech Center | Since 1915
“To try to make the world in some way better than you found it is to have a noble motive in life.”
- Andrew Carnegie
This project received the 2021 Landmarks Illinois Award for Adaptive Reuse. The National Park Service (NPS) approved rehabilitation of the historic Mercer County Carnegie Public Library building built in 1915. The landmark building was developed into a co-working facility for technology education, recruiting, and employment in Aledo, Illinois. Although plans for the facility were made prior to a global pandemic, we now know many work functions can be performed from anywhere with internet connectivity. This change in the way companies do business further supported the long-term vision of bringing new technology employment opportunities to rural Mercer County.
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Proposals to raise taxes to renovate and add on to the historic building were rejected by voters five times during 2009-2013 so the Mercer County Library Board decided to build a new facility in 2017. Furnishings, including the original circulation desk, were sold off and the library moved in 2019 leaving a vacant uncertain future. The building was appraised for auction at $12,000 with the best use of the site listed as demolition. Challenges for the building being repurposed included roof and masonry issues causing water damage, no modern plumbing, heating or cooling systems, and no planned future use for the building. The Downtown Aledo Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016 which included the library property. This not only provided additional funding possibilities but also the potential to use the library as a financial model for future development in downtown Aledo.
Rehabilitation challenges in adaptive use included a heating and cooling system for a solid block/brick/steel structure while maintaining the historical integrity of the building. A Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) system was used with fresh air brought in and hidden in a former closet and the conditioned air pushed out of screened bookshelves that once housed screened radiators. To maintain the historical lower public corridor, former office and restroom doors were fixed in place and new amenities including ADA restrooms and a break area were arranged behind.
Another challenge that other rural communities also experience today is a deteriorating downtown in need of economic development. Aledo has experienced years of students going off to college to advance their education with few professional employment opportunities to come back to after graduation. Having this facility in downtown Aledo is one part of bringing new professional employment opportunities to a rural setting. To bring life downtown, lives have to be brought downtown. The newly named Tech Center is now home to new workers and residents to the community through the organization High-Tech Small Town. This group is also working with area school districts to build a future pipeline of rural talent that can be sourced from technology employers anywhere in the country.
In summary, this project has saved, rehabilitated, and adapted a historic landmark building for future use. The former library is now the center for Mercer County business initiatives participating in a global economy. It is a privilege to give this culturally and historically important century-old civic building new life, function, and purpose in the community bringing new economic opportunities to the small town of Aledo and beginning steps toward restoring rural vibrancy.
200 N College Ave, Aledo, IL 61231