Developers offer ideas for Crystal Lake’s Depot Park renovation; ice bricks or terra cotta tiles main options

Developers returned to the Crystal Lake City Council this week with new renderings for the downtown Depot Park renovations that include bandshell or theater-in-round options.

Developers from Teska Associates, Woodhouse Tinucci Architects and Gewalt Hamilton Associates narrowed down their proposals from an initial presentation in November after receiving feedback from the City Council.

The team on Tuesday presented options of a band shell or a theater-in-round in historic heritage themes of ice harvesting or terra cotta.

Crystal Lake’s history of ice harvesting started in the mid-1850s where ice companies would cut and store ice from Crystal Lake during the winter months, according to McHenry County Living.

A lesser known history is the production of terra cotta bricks and tiles in the late 1800s to the early 1900s, according to the Crystal Lake Historical Society.

Major changes were made to the ice harvesting and terra cotta concepts from November’s presentation. Architects shared renderings of a bandshell using “ice bricks” or terra cotta tiles rather than the previous ice blocks and terra cotta bricks.

All renderings feature a sign that displays “Crystal Lake: A good place to live,” Woodhouse Tinucci architect Chase Jordan said.

Cost estimates for the ice harvesting theme is about $675,000, which includes audio and visual equipment. The theater-in-the-round concept also adds another structure for seating, which would be an additional $275,000 and totaling just under $1 million, Gewalt Hamilton Director of Site Design Brian Wesolowski said.

The full project cost estimates total just short of $5 million with landscaping, utility infrastructure and parking lot adjustments, Wesolowski said.

“We still are early on in the process of this,” Wesolowski said. “A lot of these can change pretty drastically as we move to close out the preliminary engineering and also the direction from the council on where we want to go with the theater.”

A large evergreen tree is also new to the proposed rendering, which can be used to decorate during the holiday season, Teska Associates Principal Urban Designer Jodi Mariano said.

Features that would remain are the PACE bus route, Pop’s Corn Crib and the number of parking spaces, developers said previously. The Veterans Memorial might be relocated to another place in the park.

Concerns about the PACE bus route cutting into the park remained. Council members debated if the bus drop-off could be moved to another area nearby.

“Putting that road through there, it breaks up the aesthetic and also I think it’s a safety concern, too,” Mayor Haig Haleblian said.

The PACE bus does not operate on Saturdays and the road is helpful during farmers market season, Crystal Lake Community Development Director Kathryn Cowlin said.

Council members were split on the two themes and if the project should include a water feature.

“It’s a small area, and you have to think: $5 million so that 50 people can sit there,” council member Ellen Brady said.

Mariano estimates “hundreds” of people could fit in the grass areas.

The Depot Park project is still in the preliminary stages, with the opportunity for public comment in future city council meetings in the future.

Haleblian said he favored the ice harvesting theme and feared the terra cotta tiles could look dated in the future.

“I’m wondering if it could be backlit,” Haleblian said. “Which would be really dramatic.”