Interior and Exterior Landmark Designation Likely for Historic Trumbull School

40th Ward Alderman O’Conner has been actively involved in promoting a good outcome for Trumbull school. He has been a strong advocate for preservation and has insisted that the developer landmark both in the interior and the exterior of the historic school building. Preservation Chicago applauds Alderman O’Conner’s leadership for his determination to protect historic interiors as well as the historic exterior.

Three years after the highly-significant Dwight Perkins designed Trumbull school was permanently closed as part of the mass closure of 50 Chicago Public Schools, the building is expected to be sold to Svigos Asset Management on November 4th. Landmark designation is a requirement of the redevelopment plan and preliminary landmark status is anticipated in November. Preservation Chicago strongly supports landmark designation for Trumbull School.

Svigos was the firm chosen from a number of prospective developers as their redevelopment plans accommodated the community’s reuse preferences. Their plans include landmark designation, the use of historic preservation tax credits, the adaptive reuse of the building for a maximum of 49 residential units, and to engage a local theater group to use the auditorium.

Despite earnest efforts, the Timeline Theatre group has withdrawn from the project. Challenges arouse when it became clear that Timeline’s desire to convert the historic auditorium into a flexible, black-box type theater with leveled floor was contrary to preservation standards and would jeopardize historic tax credits. The circa 1913 Christopher Columbus murals and highly significant auditorium rotunda were never considered for significant alterations. Svigos is actively seeking new theater groups to operate the auditorium.

Suggested Reading
Trumbull Will Be Sold To Developers, Ald. O’Connor Says, DNAinfo, 10/31/16

Trumbull Update, Alderman O’Connor Community Update, 10/28/16

Trouble for TimeLine in its plans for Trumbull School, Chicago Tribune, 9/29/16

History of Lyman Trumbull Elementary School, Chicago Historic Schools, 8/26/13

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