This article was originally published in the Daily Herald.
Luci Creative isexcited to provide exhibit design services for the Waukegan Carnegie Center inpartnership with custom fabricator Ravenswood Studio.
The Waukegan Park District and the Waukegan Historical Society broke ground for the restoration and adaptive reuse of the former Carnegie Library to become the future Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie.
Located at 1 N. Sheridan Road, the Carnegie Library will be the site of the Waukegan History Museum with expanded history programming, archives, collections, exhibits, classrooms and a research library.
Designated as a Waukegan Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Carnegie Library opened in 1903 with a donation from Andrew Carnegie, a steel magnate and philanthropist who commissioned the construction of 2,509 libraries.
For the 50th anniversary of the Waukegan Historical Society, the Waukegan Park District's board of commissioners approved a resolution supporting expansion of the Waukegan History Museum.
The Waukegan Park District officially acquired the Carnegie Library from the city of Waukegan in 2020. Construction is anticipated to be done in late 2023 or early 2024.
"The Waukegan Park District is committed to our long-term partnership with the Waukegan Historical Society and expansion of the Waukegan History Museum," said Janet E. Kilkelly, president of the Waukegan Park District's board of commissioners.
"The restoration of this historic building will allow us to expand our programming, while preserving an important piece of Waukegan's history."
"We are thrilled to celebrate this key milestone, which is the result of many years of thoughtful planning, collaboration, and partnership," said Lori Nerheim, president of the Waukegan Historical Society's board of directors.
"The Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie will hold exciting new exhibits on Waukegan's history and natural resources with interactive spaces that will help visitors draw connections between history and their contemporary lives. It will be a vibrant, welcoming, educational space where visitors feel comfortable learning, exploring, asking questions and exchanging ideas."
"In partnership with the Waukegan Historical Society, the Waukegan Park District is excited about the transformation of the Carnegie Library into a dynamic museum to share local history," added Jay Lerner, executive director of the Waukegan Park District. "We look forward to welcoming the community into the Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie."
The Waukegan History Museum is operated by the Waukegan Park District and the Waukegan Historical Society and is the repository for Waukegan's rich history.
