By Amelia Levin
Special to Inside
Students at The Latin School of Chicago may soon be enjoying a new middle school in the Lincoln Park area. The plan for the new building was originally proposed in November 2001 by Latin School teachers, administrators and board of trustee members who decided that the middle school students had been living in cramped quarters. At present, the middle school occupies only the fifth floor of the Middle Upper School on North Ave., and its students make up 221 out of the 1,089 total K-12 students.
Evelyne Girardet, spokesperson for The Latin School, said that the goal of the plan is "to provide students with state of the art facilities that will enhance the exceptional educational experience they receive at Latin."
The plan for a new middle school is currently undergoing the preliminary stages of development, and the scope and timeline of the project will depend largely on the success of the fundraising involved. School representatives anticipate, however, that the project will be completed in a few years. They expect to share more details about the plan at community meetings later this summer.
One goal of the plan is to remain sensitive to the concerns of the Lincoln Park community. The new school will be built at 1550 N. Dearborn St., the site of the Eleanor House, a residential and educational center for women that closed in 2001.
Because Eleanor House will be razed, Latin has hired a number of architects and consultants to construct a new building that is "harmonious with the brownstones next door," Girardet said. The projected five-story building will be no taller than the nearby upper middle school, and Girardet expects that the building will make the corner attractive.
"The Latin School has been in Lincoln Park for nearly 115 years, and we are good neighbors, so I think the new school is going to be not just an asset to our students, but also to our community," she added.
Although the Eleanor Women's Foundation had the opportunity to sell its real estate to high profile Chicago businesses, the group ultimately chose Latin because of the school's educational mission. In addition to stressing academic excellence, Latin's mission encourages the moral, physical, psychological, and aesthetic growth of its students through maintaining a diverse, nurturing environment. The Eleanor Woman's Foundation has a similar mission of providing Chicago women with opportunities for cultural, emotional and educational growth. |
