CRESTON — By the end of the summer, all three of the historic red brick buildings in downtown Creston will be looking a bit brighter.
A.I.P. Painters of Franklin Grove is currently at work on the library building. The Opera House and the old town hall, which currently houses the Panache Salon & Day Spa, are slated for later this year.
Lyle and Cindy Headon, who have owned and operated Headon’s Fine Meats & Catering in downtown Creston since 1970, own the library building and co-own the old town hall.
“We are excited to have the downtown area spruced up for this year’s Creston Booster Days,” Lyle says.

The annual event will take place Sept. 16 and 17, and proceeds from the 2017 raffle will support further renovations to the Creston Opera House.  
The Opera House was built in 1875 and was purchased by the Creston Booster Club in 1959. The building has a rich history in the community, having housed the first Dement-Creston Library and been the site of hundreds of events ranging from church services to musicals, plays and an annual haunted house. The lower level is also rented out for private events.
Other
projects
A.I.P. has long serviced both residential and commercial clients in the Lee/Ogle area, and has recently taken on a number of historic projects. In addition to the three buildings in Creston, the company is currently painting several buildings at the John Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour and the Franklin Creek Grist Mill. Last summer, A.I.P. painted the Flagg Township Museum building, which was originally built in 1884 as the City and Town Hall.
A.I.P. Owner Gary Mason said the historic projects are his passion.
“There is nothing more rewarding than to take an old building that is in disrepair and make it into the focal point of the community,” Mason said. “We take great pride in bringing these historic buildings back to life.”
DeKalb photographer Brad Oropeza is documenting the work in Creston, along with other renovations of local historical buildings, including the former Hub Theater in Rochelle.