Brookfield has accepted $195,200 in grant funding from Cook County to bring improvements to the courtyard behind the Brookfield Shops retail incubator program at Progress Park near Eight Corners.
Trustees on Nov. 24 approved a resolution to accept the funds from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), which administers the Cook County Creative Placemaking Grant, on behalf of the Brookfield Theater Corporation.
The group, which is set to purchase property downtown to turn into the new Strand Theater, had applied for the grant itself, but could not accept it due to the county’s requirements, Village President Michael Garvey said.
“Brookfield Theater was not able to be the main grant recipient. Staff did an excellent job in basically working with the county so that the village could become the specific recipient of it to do some major improvements in the courtyard area and make it an event space going forward,” Garvey said. “There were over 100 submissions for these types of grants, and the village of Brookfield was one of the 12 to get it, so we’re very proud.”
The grant will be available through Aug. 31, 2026, and will see improvements made to the area, including the addition of pavers in the courtyard, moveable stage pieces, technical audio and lighting equipment, sunshades, a storage shed, benches, bike racks, signage, solar panels, awnings and a wall dedicated to local art. Some of the grant will also go toward paying consultants for the program.
According to a village memo, the budget for the improvements was revised several times before the LISC approved it. “If any line item is not completed as approved, the associated grant fund may be forfeited,” the memo stated.
In August, Libby Popovic, Brookfield’s community development director, told the Landmark the village had partnered with the Brookfield Theater Corporation in the hopes of creating a space for community theater in the courtyard after its leader, John Dumas, proposed turning the historic, village-owned Theater Building on Grand Boulevard into such a space in September 2024. The Theater Building is now set to be demolished to make way for a new development.
She said the village went to Dumas when the grant application opened in April in order to beautify the area near Eight Corners, which she described as “Brookfield’s uptown” in contrast to the downtown area by the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Prairie Avenue.
Nine pieces of public artwork were unveiled on Oct. 31 that have since been displayed at the Brookfield Shops and will contribute to the art wall.
