DIXON – One of the gems in Dixon's crown will celebrate its platinum anniversary next week.

Loveland Community House is turning 75. All are invited to the daylong celebration on Oct. 10.

The Cotswold-style brick building on the city's near west side was born out of the goodwill – and the last will and testament – of George Loveland, whose grandfather, Otis Loveland, came to Dixon with his wife and five children in 1837.

[ Online extra: See detailed photos from in and around the building ]

The community house, which was built in 1939 and opened a year later, was intended as “a meeting place,” according to Loveland's handwritten will, which is on display near the office on the first floor.

The building was “to be used for the comfort and pleasure of our home people … a gathering place for country people as well as city,” it says. It also was meant to perpetuate the family name.

Loveland was born in 1847. He fought in the Civil War, then became a real estate dealer. He developed a subdivision on the northwest side of Dixon, across Fourth Avenue from the neighborhood known as Swissville. He also donated a lot at the top of the hill for a school, around where present-day Martin, Carroll and Center streets meet.

He married Emma Tomlinson in 1880 in Mount Carroll.

The Lovelands were generous, civic-minded people, as well as world travelers. They saw a community house in Europe and brought the idea home.

Besides providing for a community house in his will, Loveland also asked that “anyone in this or adjoining counties to bring interesting objects” to a museum within the building.

He left no instructions for the construction or operation of the house, except that it be built on the south side of town, include a museum and a swimming pool, and charge only nominal rental fees, if necessary.

The building has an auditorium, a dining room, a kitchen, lounges, and meeting rooms, as well as the museum. It was built for about $200,000 – more than $3.2 million today.

The trustees, who carried out the will and the construction of the house, deemed the addition and maintenance of a pool too complicated, so a court ruled that $30,000 of the endowment be given for the construction of a memorial pool in a city park. The now-closed Veterans Memorial Pool on the west side was the result.

Today, Loveland Community House is a shrine to Dixon history. Its walls are bedecked with art from local artists or acquired by the local Phidian Art Club. Its rooms are furnished with items from the Lovelands and other local families. The museum is also filled – wall to wall, floor to ceiling – with artifacts from the Lovelands (many collected from their travels) and other local families.

“Our focus is Dixon history,” museum Director Steve Wilson said. “That was Loveland’s instruction to us.”

There are photographs and mementos from the early days of Dixon, including items belonging to founder John Dixon and town doctor Oliver Everett. It also boasts a collection of war paraphernalia and memorabilia from the Civil War through the recent conflicts in the Middle East.

It has many historic items from local businesses, such as the Borden condensed milk plant and Prince Castle restaurant.

“We have so many things still in boxes in storage,” Wilson said. “We’re always either adding things or freshening up things.”

True to its original purpose, Loveland is available to rent for parties, special events, and even depositions. The house hosts so many depositions, in fact, that the Committee Room is almost permanently set up for such proceedings.

“It’s a neutral site in a good location,” Wilson said. The house is between the courts in Rockford and Chicago and is only a short drive for businesses whose corporate headquarters are in the Midwest, he added.

The house has regular tenants, too. The Phidian Art Club has been in the building for about 70 years, and the Eastman School of Dance for more than 40 years. Several local groups, such as Weight Watchers, regularly meet there.

It's a feather in Dixon's cultural cap that Loveland's staff works hard – very hard, Wilson said – to maintain.

He hopes people will stop by for a visit – to learn about Dixon's past or enjoy the beauty of today.

"It’s a place for everyone to gather," he said, and “we would like people to just come here, sit in the atrium or any of the lounges … or walk around [the property], …” he said.

“How many towns can boast a place like this – with the beauty of the architecture and the décor?"

More Information

Loveland Community House and Museum is at 513 W. Second St. in Dixon.

Several rooms of varying sizes and amenities are available to rent for parties, bridal and baby showers, rehearsal dinners, weddings and wedding receptions, funeral luncheons, recitals, meetings, seminars, and depositions.

The building is handicapped accessible. Food may be carried in or catered in, or prepared on site; alcohol is not permitted in the building.

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the building is available for events from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Find it on Facebook, go to lovelandcommunityhouse.org, or call 815-284-2741 for more information, including rental fees. A virtual tour is available on the website.

DIXON – When Loveland Community House first opened on Oct. 8, 1940, thousands showed up to take it in.

Director Steve Wilson is inviting the community to again enjoy the house when it will host its 75th anniversary gala on Oct. 10.

"I patterned the celebration after the first day," Wilson said. "There were over 5,000 people who came in here the first day. It was a big event. Brand new structure.

"I'm hoping to get a few hundred people here [on Saturday]."

The doors to the Loveland House and Museum, 513 W. Second St. will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a special celebration running from 2 to 4 p.m.

Admission is free, and light refreshments will be provided.

Visitors will be able to take in the museum, showcasing artifacts from founder George Loveland, along with the works of local artists. A video presentation on the Loveland and its history will play throughout the day.
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All former Loveland School students and their descendants are invited to view a display of school memorabilia and photographs, and to bring their own to share.

The celebration begins in the auditorium with American Legion Post 12 presenting the colors.

Mayor Li Arellano Jr. and Dixon natives state Sen. Tim Bivins and state Rep. Tom Demmer will speak, and the Dixon Municipal Band will play eight pieces in all (as it did on the first day Loveland was open). Pianist Vitlaus von Horn also will perform.

"It's a way for us to give back to the community," Wilson said. "We've had so many generous donors. We want to give recognition to them."