New Ag School Riding Barn Could Open In November

CHICAGO, IL -- The new indoor riding barn that's under construction at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Mt. Greenwood is on track for a November opening, Ag School Principal William Hook said this week. Foundation work is still being completed but a Nov. 1 ribbon cutting date is still within reason, according to Hook.

The barn, which will be 161 x 80 square-feet, will be used primarily for therapeutic horse riding but some able-body riding as well. Hook says these are new features for the Ag School, which is home to the last fully functioning farm in the city of Chicago.

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The barn remains in its construction phase just south of 111th Street and west of the existing animal barn. The existing barn will remain on the school's campus and will still be used after the new one is completed, Hook said.

There will be a metal roof on the one-story structure that will have two circular riding areas but no seating inside, according to a DNAinfo Chicago report on its groundbreaking from earlier this year.

Hook said that the plans for the barn have been ongoing for years, but construction did not start on the actual facility until June of this year.