Belvidere Park District
Baltic Mill Restoration/Addition
Type of Project:
Addition/Remodeling
Total Square Footage:
1,400 new
7,500 remodeled
Completion:
Fall 1995
Cost:
$744,611
General Contractor:
Reitzel Construction Co.
Rockford, Illinois
Restoration Contractor:
Marty Jess Construction
Bellevue, Iowa
Completing the Baltic Mill Restoration in Fall of 1995 realized an 8-year-old dream for the Belvidere Park District (Belvidere, IL), which opted to salvage the 1845 relic after more than 40 years of mostly non-use. After conducting extensive committee research and meetings, the district provided us with 3 main program objectives: Restore the 7,500 s.f., 4-level Mill to become an agricultural museum.
Design an addition to house the Arts Council and its exhibits, and to provide a community meeting room and public rest rooms. This annex should resemble as closely as possible the sawmill annex that was once attached to the Mill, as well as provide handicapped accessibility to 3 levels.
Design a performance stage in an amphitheater setting for use by the summer children’s theater and Concerts in the Park series.
To make the 1,400 s.f., 2-level addition tie into the 1845 Mill, a specialized construction company from Iowa was hired to retrieve pine pieces from an old barn in northern Boone County and craft them into hand-hewn timbers. A dual access, 3-stop elevator provides accessibility (see interior, right photo). A sump pump in the elevator well provides relief for the addition’s flood plain location.
(From Top) Main Entrance with handicap accessibility; Western exposure showing the refurbished exterior and new amphitheater stage; Meeting Room; Lobby.
Photos taken by Nels Akerlund
Belvidere Park District
Baltic Mill Restoration/Addition
| Type of Project: | ||||||
| Addition/Remodeling | ||||||
| Total Square Footage: | ||||||
| 1,400 new 7,500 remodeled |
||||||
| Completion: | ||||||
| Fall 1995 | ||||||
| Cost: | ||||||
| $744,611 | ||||||
| General Contractor: | ||||||
| Reitzel Construction Co. Rockford, Illinois |
||||||
| Restoration Contractor: | ||||||
| Marty Jess Construction Bellevue, Iowa |
||||||
Design an addition to house the Arts Council and its exhibits, and to provide a community meeting room and public rest rooms. This annex should resemble as closely as possible the sawmill annex that was once attached to the Mill, as well as provide handicapped accessibility to 3 levels.
Design a performance stage in an amphitheater setting for use by the summer children’s theater and Concerts in the Park series.
To make the 1,400 s.f., 2-level addition tie into the 1845 Mill, a specialized construction company from Iowa was hired to retrieve pine pieces from an old barn in northern Boone County and craft them into hand-hewn timbers. A dual access, 3-stop elevator provides accessibility (see interior, right photo). A sump pump in the elevator well provides relief for the addition’s flood plain location.
Photos taken by Nels Akerlund