Illinois To Lose 1895 School
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Dec. 29, 2010
A school that has stood since 1895 in Lake Bluff, Ill., will be torn down next spring.
East School closed in September 2009, when a new village elementary school opened. The Lake Bluff School District formed a task force to evaluate the future of the historic building on East Sheridan Place. This fall, after the task force recommended seeking bids for demolition, citing $75,000 annual maintenance costs, the school board approved.
"We do not need the space anymore," says Lake Bluff School District 65 Superintendent John Asplund. "We don't have any viable use for that building, and to bring it back to a usability standard for the general public, we would have to spend a few million dollars."
The two-story building, which includes a 1923 and 1950s additions, has suffered from deferred maintenance, says Janet Nelson, chair of the Lake Bluff Historic Preservation Commission and former principal of East School. Nelson's four children attended the school.
"The school district could not afford to fix the building," Nelson says. "I really hate to see the building go, but on the other hand, having worked in that building for many years, it would just be very costly to use it again as a school."
East School was designated a local landmark in 2007, but such status does not prevent demolition. The task force did consider finding another buyer, or renovating the building as senior housing, or renting it out, but none of those options was practical, Nelson says. "We have tried everything."
Prior to demolition, several historic elements will be removed, including the 1926 mural in the gymnasium. The East School site will become green space for the adjacent middle school.
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Comments
Submitted by Blake at: January 20, 2011
I attended the East School in the late 50s and early 60s.There are later additions that don't warrant conservation, but the front area shown in the photo was an interesting arrangement with classrooms opening on to a central hall that had a stage for performances, equipment to serve as a gym and a community meeting area that hosted boy scout and girl scout meetings, etc., Too bad they couldn't keep at least this original area for use as a community center. Lake Bluff too has experienced a lot of "tear down" activity. There is very little left of its 19th century history.
Submitted by Becky R at: January 18, 2011
This is one of my home town schools. my mom taught first grade here. They want parking space. This is one of the richest distrcts in the state and perhaps the country. Ridiculous.
Submitted by Brian at: December 30, 2010
What about loft apartments? I saw a website about a Detroit school which was turned into lofts. They even saved the chalkboards on some of the walls. I know it sounds crazy, but a talented interior decorator can make it work.
Submitted by vp at: December 29, 2010
What about use as a community center? I am working on this exact project in a small town in Alabama. Unfortunately, I could only lease the buildings b/c the school board would not sell.
Submitted by CeeJay at: December 29, 2010
Kudos to Ms Nelson and Lake Bluff Historic Preservation Commission for truly looking for alternatives for re-use of the building! Too bad none of their options were "practical", but I assume that they just could not find a buyer, a renovator, or a renter. What a contrast to the way a school board in our area had a historic school building torn down after ignoring a community / public effort to save it.This in spite of the fact that it had a buyer, was eligible for grant monies, and had all the potential for happy re-use . What a waste !