The former Emmanuel Lutheran School on Aurora’s east side will reopen Monday as a youth center.
Courtesy of Aurora
A long-shuttered school on Aurora’s east side is reopening as a youth center, city officials said Sunday.
Mayor Richard Irvin and community partners will celebrate the renovation and reopening Monday of the former Emmanuel Lutheran School, 551 Fourth Ave., with a 5 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The school closed 20 years ago and its building is now owned by the Aurora Housing Authority and its Northern Light Development Corporation, which are reopening it as the Northern Lights Youth Center.
Groups that will provide programs and services at the center include the Fox Valley Park District, the Quad County Urban League and SPARK Early Learning, among others.
Open for children from prekindergarten through postsecondary students, the center also will feature early childhood initiatives, STEM training programs, construction trades programs, arts and athletics, and a workout room.
It’s the second of three repurposed former schools opening this year. In the spring, the onetime Todd Elementary School, which had been closed for five years, reopened as affordable apartments. And next month, the shuttered Lincoln Elementary School, which closed 15 years ago, will reopen as affordable apartments.