The building formerly known as the Artisan Center, which is currently rundown, will soon be renovated by new owners.
FRANKLIN COUNTY (WSIL) - The building formerly known as the Artisan Center, near Rend Lake in Franklin County, will soon have a new name. The building is being purchased by the Rend Lake Conservancy District and their General Manager tells us that bringing the building back to life is part of the plan.
The Artisan Center was once a beautiful building and property. It was owned and managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and housed art from across the state and hosted small events. At its inception was Rick Linton.
"In 1992 we dedicated this building. I was on the committee that worked on this, and from '92 to 2015, it was a fabulous operation," Linton said of the building.
But since the closure of the Rend Lake Resort in 2017, and the budget cuts for museums such as this, the grounds are unkempt, and the building is in need of repairs. It basically lay dormant, until recently when state legislators put the purchase of the property back on the table.
"The state started seeing value in it coming back to the district, so once they decided it made sense, our local legislators all pitched in and made that happen," said Keith Thomason, the Rend Lake Conservancy District General Manager. He made special mention of the legislators involved which include, State Senators Terri Bryant and Dale Fowler and State Representative Dave Severin.
Thomason said the purchase by RLCD only made sense. In fact, the property the center sits on was donated to the project by the district.
With the purchase all but signed by the Governor, Thomason said, they're planning what's next for the building.
"Early plans are to make it a visitors' center. It's right there off the interstate. It's a perfect stop for people coming and learning about Rend Lake. And then we also want to turn it into a conference and event center," Thomason said of the district's upcoming plans for the building. "Those are quick and easy things to do for us once the building is in good shape. After that, we want to build it into our resource plant for future development."
Thomason said they're also looking for further development opportunities in the immediate area. He also said, as soon as the district gets the keys, they'll work to restore the building and make it open to the public.
"They'll be able to come in, get brochures, learn about the area. We also hope to do some education with the schools in the building too... let them learn about the lake. I think people are just going to see a nice asset to the area right away."
And with the recent multi-million-dollar state investment into the Rend Lake Resort, Linton said it's perfect timing to revive the center. He believes it will reinforce Rend Lake's impact on tourism and economic growth in the area.
"It's probably in the $30-million impact annually," Linton said, "and people don't realize that it is an industry, and tourism is something we rely on. It's gonna grow for us here."
Thomason said the purchase price is just over $500,000. He said they hope to have the building operational and open to the public by this summer.
