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About
Shimer Square carries a legacy that began in 1853 as the Mount Carroll Seminary, a rare, female-governed institution that evolved into Shimer College before closing its Mt. Carroll campus in 1979. Though early preservation efforts by local citizens, the campus was kept intact. then, in 2018, the organization dissolved and the buildings deteriorating, the future of the campus was once again uncertain.
Shimer Square now stands not only as a symbol of historic preservation but as a powerful engine for community and economic revitalization. GROWTH’s redevelopment aligns with local, regional, and state priorities—expanding housing options, supporting workforce development, creating jobs, and contributing to the long-term vitality of Mt. Carroll and the surrounding region.
Looking back on the timeline, 2018 became the turning point. Concerned citizens rallied together in search of a mission-aligned, community-focused partner to reimagine the site. By invitation, Economic Growth Corporation (GROWTH), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit development organization, visited the campus, brought its Board of Directors to the site and met with local stakeholders, and received unanimous board approval to move forward. GROWTH took title to the 14-acre, 17-building campus in December 2018 and launched a multi-phase redevelopment plan focused on preservation, revitalization, and adaptive reuse.
In May 2019, the campus was officially renamed Shimer Square through a community ballot and a tie-breaking coin toss by the Mayor, marking a fresh chapter in its history. GROWTH immediately began the complex work of securing capital and layering financing to support the long-term redevelopment. A two-year delay was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By 2023, physical transformation began to take shape. A $1.5 million Rebuild Illinois grant, one of 11 awarded in the state, helped preserve key areas, including the historic Sawyer House, the front entry gate, and campus infrastructure, while laying groundwork for future redevelopment at Hathaway Hall. Behind the scenes, GROWTH finalized the financing structure needed to launch its first major historic, adaptive-reuse residential redevelopment.
In 2024, major redevelopment efforts were in full swing. In March, construction officially started on a $23.4 million adaptive reuse of the former McKee/Hostetter and Dezendorf Halls into 51 apartments, supported by nine layers of financing. Meanwhile, a feasibility study confirmed the need for an on-campus early childhood development center, kicked off by a strong feasibility study and an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, GROWTH started construction October 2024 on the $2 million new construction development, signed a lease with the operator in 2025, who will create new jobs, and and start enrollment when licensing is approved.
Now in 2025, the vision for Shimer Square is becoming reality. New residents are moving into quality rental housing, jobs are being created through the early childcare development center, soon children will be introduced, community resources, HUD-approved housing counseling services will be brought on site, all culminating the first phase of a long-term transformation that preserves the past while building for the future.
Shimer Square now stands not only as a symbol of historic preservation but as a powerful engine for community and economic revitalization. GROWTH’s redevelopment aligns with local, regional, and state priorities—expanding housing options, supporting workforce development, creating jobs, and contributing to the long-term vitality of Mt. Carroll and the surrounding region.
Looking back on the timeline, 2018 became the turning point. Concerned citizens rallied together in search of a mission-aligned, community-focused partner to reimagine the site. By invitation, Economic Growth Corporation (GROWTH), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit development organization, visited the campus, brought its Board of Directors to the site and met with local stakeholders, and received unanimous board approval to move forward. GROWTH took title to the 14-acre, 17-building campus in December 2018 and launched a multi-phase redevelopment plan focused on preservation, revitalization, and adaptive reuse.
In May 2019, the campus was officially renamed Shimer Square through a community ballot and a tie-breaking coin toss by the Mayor, marking a fresh chapter in its history. GROWTH immediately began the complex work of securing capital and layering financing to support the long-term redevelopment. A two-year delay was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By 2023, physical transformation began to take shape. A $1.5 million Rebuild Illinois grant, one of 11 awarded in the state, helped preserve key areas, including the historic Sawyer House, the front entry gate, and campus infrastructure, while laying groundwork for future redevelopment at Hathaway Hall. Behind the scenes, GROWTH finalized the financing structure needed to launch its first major historic, adaptive-reuse residential redevelopment.
In 2024, major redevelopment efforts were in full swing. In March, construction officially started on a $23.4 million adaptive reuse of the former McKee/Hostetter and Dezendorf Halls into 51 apartments, supported by nine layers of financing. Meanwhile, a feasibility study confirmed the need for an on-campus early childhood development center, kicked off by a strong feasibility study and an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, GROWTH started construction October 2024 on the $2 million new construction development, signed a lease with the operator in 2025, who will create new jobs, and and start enrollment when licensing is approved.
Now in 2025, the vision for Shimer Square is becoming reality. New residents are moving into quality rental housing, jobs are being created through the early childcare development center, soon children will be introduced, community resources, HUD-approved housing counseling services will be brought on site, all culminating the first phase of a long-term transformation that preserves the past while building for the future.
