Elmhurst D-205 Tearing Down School, Then Replacing It

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst's Lincoln Elementary School is set to be torn down this summer and then replaced.

Built in 1916, the school, 565 Fairfield Ave., is set to be demolished in June, a project that is expected to take a little more than a month, officials said. Then the construction of a new school is slated to start, lasting until fall 2022.

Officials described the school as the only one in Elmhurst School District 205 as completely surrounded by houses.

The new building will have about the same amount of space as the current one, officials said.

On Tuesday, the city's Zoning and Planning Commission heard the plan for the new school. It is one of the projects being paid for with money from the $168 million bond issue approved by voters in November 2018.

Leanne Meyer-Smith, an architect with Wight & Co., described the school's proposed layout as having "neighborhoods" for each grade level.

"All of them have a collaborative living room," she said.

They also will have a fenced-in "outdoor collaborative area," Meyer-Smith said.

The school is also set to have a drop-off lane, which officials said would lessen traffic on nearby streets.

Commission member Jordan Uditsky raised the issue of stormwater.

"If this wasn't a Zoom meeting, we would have a slew of people asking about stormwater," he said.

David Evans, an engineer with Wight & Co., said the school would include a concrete vault under the parking lot for stormwater detention, along with other water storage features. Together, the storage is expected to be nearly equivalent to an Olympic-sized pool.

Commission member Melissa Pittman called Lincoln "very unique" because it is surrounded by houses.

"There has to be an extreme amount of sensitivity because of that," she said. "It seems like there is a lot of support for the school and what has been done."

Asked about a neighborhood virtual meeting on the project, Meyer-Smith said it went well.

"Being on Zoom, we were really skeptical about how it would be," she said. "We didn't know if the callers would be participatory, complimentary or just unleashing. It was very, very positive. Even when people brought up a comment that could be perceived as negative, they were so polite and really just looking for information."

The commission unanimously approved the project.

"It's exciting to see a new modern school being developed," the commission's chairwoman, Susan Rose, said. "It's great for our community. One of the things that attracts people to our community is the schools."

The proposal next goes to the City Council's Development, Planning and Zoning Committee, then to the full council.

Lincoln has more than 500 students and 60 employees, officials said.

During construction at Lincoln, students in kindergarten through third grades will attend Edison Elementary for the full 2021-22 year, according to the district. Fourth grade will go to Hawthorne Elementary and fifth to Bryan Middle School.

Construction of a new Field Elementary School is slated to start in summer 2022, with a projected opening for the fall 2023 semester.