One hundred sixteen years is apparently long enough for Chicago’s Lincoln Park High School to go without being fully air conditioned. A chilly retrofit is one of a number of improvements on the way as part of a $20 million renovation package announced recently.
Forty-Third Ward Alderman Michele Smith has been teasing her constituents for a while about a “big announcement” coming regarding the infrastructure of the school, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel publicly let the cat out of the bag last weekend.
Work will take place over the next two summers so that the students aren’t disturbed. In the summer of 2017 the following upgrades will be done:
- New or upgraded air conditioning for all classrooms
- Repairs to the roof, facade, and HVAC
- A trendy new maker lab
- New drama classroom
- New piano lab classroom
- New weight room
On the slate for summer, 2018:
- Interior wall and ceiling repair
- New interior floors
- New hallway lights
- New locker colors
Location: 2001 North Orchard Street, Lincoln Park