There have been a lot of names attached to the two long-vacant schools on Peoria's South Side over the years. Dinosaurs. Albatrosses. Eyesores. But soon, they'll just be "gone."
Demolition commenced Tuesday on the old McKinley School at the corner of W. Adrian G. Hinton Ave. and Webster St. The building, constructed in 1904, hasn't been an active school in decades.
It passed into private ownership in 1995, and subsequently changed hands several times. The building fell into disrepair in the meantime. First District councilmember Denise Jackson said it was impossible to bring the building back up into code compliance, leaving demolition as the only option to remove the blight from the neighborhood.
"I'm just excited. This is a new day. It's a new season. And we are just happy that this dinosaur is coming down," said Jackson.
Community Development Director Joe Dulin said items like the McKinley School sign and stage curtains were salvaged and will be stored by the Peoria Historical Society.
Lois Smith attended McKinley School as a child. She came out Tuesday morning to watch the demolition commence.
"I used to live on Third Street. And so my mom used to always fix my sack lunch and bring me here to go to school. And to see it leave and take off, it's sad. But I'm here to say goodbye," she said.
Smith said the teachers at McKinley were strict, but she always got her homework done.
The demolition is funded through federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars awarded to the city of Peoria. The city gained ownership of both the Harrison and McKinley schools from private owners last year, enabling the demolition process to move forward.
The McKinley demolition will cost about $944,000, while the Harrison demolition on W. Krause Ave. is projected to cost around $1.1 million.
Dulin said demolition of the old Harrison School will start after the McKinley demolition is completed. Both projects should wrap up by the end of this summer.
Jackson said she has a vision for the former McKinley and Harrison sites.
"I envision new housing in and around this area. We have seen a mass exodus of people from the South Side. And so until we are able to rebuild, redevelop, bring new homes, bring businesses, then we'll be able to support a brand new grocery store. So this is what we envision," she said.
Jackson said vacant lots scattered across the South Side are prime locations to develop new quality, affordable family housing.
The city's land bank program is gathering many of those lots together to make them more attractive to developers for investment.
Smith said she looks forward to new life on Peoria's South Side.
"But to be honest, it will never take the place of McKinley," she said.
