The city of Niles is moving forward with a plan to turn the Ferry Street School property into a park.
The Niles City Council has voted to authorize a crowdfunding campaign through Patronicity to allow for the new gathering space.
Niles History Center Director Christina Arseneau tells us the Ferry Street School was built in 1867 and was initially a school for students of color. Niles Community Schools integrated in the 1870s, and then Ferry Street School was used by the local school district for a variety of purposes.
“As Niles schools got more overcrowded, they kept the school open even though it was just a one-room schoolhouse, just because they sometimes needed a place for other classes to be,” Arseneau said. “It served as a time for what they call exceptional students.”
The building remained in use all the way through 2023.
“Eventually it was sold by the school district. The city owned it for a short time, and then it was under the control of the Ferry Street Resource Center, which is a center for connecting people to social services, education, career opportunities.”
The Ferry Street Resource Center was forced to move when the school building was heavily damaged by fire in 2023. Arseneau says all that’s left is the front facade, and that will be the centerpiece of the new park being planned for the site. She says the goal is to make it a community gathering space with seating and signage explaining the history of the former school.
Arseneau says with the city council’s blessing, she now must apply to Patronicity to list the project for crowdfunding. She can’t say for sure what the goal will be as that’s still being worked out. Should the crowdfunding campaign meet its goal, it would also get a match through Patronicity.
If all goes well, Arseneau says the project could break ground this summer. We’ll let you know when the crowdfunding campaign officially begins.
