District 181 Looks For New Central Office

HINSDALE, IL — School District 181, which serves elementary and middle school students in Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, is looking for a new central office.

In October, the school board authorized the district's administration to identify possible properties for a new office.

The current central office is at 115 W. 55th St., just outside the district's boundaries. The office is spread out among two floors of an office building, which contains other tenants.

"There are constraints in the existing space. We're split between two floors," District 181 spokeswoman Jamie Lavigueur said in an interview Monday.

She said another drawback is that the office is outside the district, though "incredibly close."

Officials came up with seven possibilities for a new office, but six were eliminated for various reasons, according to a district memo. The only option seen as viable was at 211 W. Chicago Ave. in Hinsdale.

Then another option was found after that process — 125 S. Vine St. But that property would have needed a full gutting and renovation, the memo said. That location was visited by administrators, architects and engineers.

The property on Chicago Avenue would require a remodeling, but not a full gutting, the memo said. But only administrators have visited that property. They want engineers and architects also to take a look.

The memo was included as part of the packet of information for the District 181 finance committee, which meets Tuesday.