The renovation of the 100 year-old school buildings will not only serve as a new public library location but will house many other facilities.
These include podcast studios, renovated gymnasium and auditorium, indoor and outdoor venue rentals, and Spark Innovation a science museum that will be an extension of The Grace Museum.
Jane Beard, president of Abilene Heritage Square says after a nearly sixteen year vacancy of the structures and many conversations, construction will take about two years. “The timeline is, we will be opening in late September of 2025, so it is about a two year construction."
The first step of the three phase renovation will be the construction of a multipurpose room for the new library. More than 85% of the $78 million campaign goal has been secured from many Abilene and regional foundations, businesses, institutions, volunteer groups, and individual donors.