Schaumburg’s Prairie Center for the Arts expansion to coincide with village hall construction

An expansion of the lobby at Schaumburg’s Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts is being moved up three years to capture cost efficiencies as the new village hall next door is being built.

Tuesday, trustees are considering a design contract with Williams Architects of Itasca for $138,000, or 8.3% of the estimated construction cost of $1.67 million.

A big part of what inspired the earlier start date for the project was the offer by Zion-based Camosy Inc., the construction manager for the new village hall, to provide the same service for free at the Prairie Center if its expansion coincided.

The Prairie Center construction would be smaller and quicker, but the intention is that both projects would be completed simultaneously in late 2026.

The reason for the renovation at the 40-year-old arts center is due to the lobby’s capacity being much smaller than the 442-seat Maggie Atcher Theatre it serves. This has created congestion before and after shows as well as during intermissions.

The project is also proposed to include a vestibule that would separate weather outside from heated or cooled air within, as well as public restrooms accessible from outside the building that would be available during daylight hours year-round.

The expedited expansion project was already part of the village’s five-year, $412.7 million capital-improvement plan requiring no new tax sources or any property taxes at all apart from some public improvements eligible for funding from nearby tax-increment financing (TIF) districts.

As of Monday, the 52-year-old Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center next to the Prairie Center officially became Schaumburg’s former village hall. The move of staff and equipment to a temporary building at 1000 E. Woodfield Road was completed over the weekend.

The Atcher Center is now being prepared for its demolition within the coming weeks to make way for its already designed two-story successor.