Pearl Place Senior Apartments
Belvidere
For nearly a decade after a new school facility was built on the edge of town, Belvidere’s historic junior and senior high school buildings and grounds stood vacant. Today, those two structures, built in 1893 and 1916, respectively, have found new life as 56 independent living apartments for senior citizens. The two buildings were connected—without destroying the historic facades—with an interior ramp and a new entry pavilion to the rear of the buildings. The $5.3 million project included $3.8 million from the Illinois Housing Development Authority.