A vacant, century old firehouse in South Lawndale would be repurposed by the National Museum of Mexican Arts (NMMA) as a community center that promotes youth arts through a $1 sale proposed to City Council today by Mayor Brandon Johnson. 

NMMA would rehabilitate the two-story, 8,600-square-foot building as a satellite extension of its main facility in Pilsen. Interior work would create new studio and performance spaces while exterior work would restore the building’s copper cornice and other façade elements. 

Located at 2358 S. Whipple St., the former firehouse was constructed in the early 1900s for Fire Department Engine Co. #109 and operated until 2011, when a new firehouse was constructed nearby. 

Appraised at $29,000, the reduced sales price would help address extensive environmental issues. 

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