In 1998, Fenwick High School built “the Link,” a passageway between the school’s original north wing and its newer field house. Now, pending village zoning approval, the school plans to add three stories atop the Link to house nine new classrooms.
The 16,000 square foot addition would include science, art and general study classrooms to the 77-year-old school at 505 Washington Blvd., said Jerry Lordan, Fenwick’s director of Institutional Advancement. The Link was built with the capacity for the vertical expansion, said Lordan.
Fenwick initially presented it expansion plans to Oak Park government officials in June 2005. The latest expansion is awaiting approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Village officials questioned if the added classrooms would result in an increase in student enrollment and faculty. The school’s enrollment of around 1,100 students and 100 faculty will remain the same, said Lordan.
“That was one of the concerns of the village, if student enrollment would increase,” said Lordan. “We want to keep student enrollment below 1,200 and faculty below 100. We think that that size gives us an interpersonal connection in our educational community.”
Fenwick’s most recent renovation was to its old pool in 2002. The reconfiguration of the pool area resulted in space for a computer lab, wrestling training room and faculty dining room in the school’s lower level.
The new renovations will add three science labs, an art studio and five general instruction classrooms above the south wing. The new classrooms were necessary because of changes to the school’s curriculum, said Lordan.
More students are taking chemistry and physics, and students now need two periods of lab for science classes. And with students required to take three years of science, some had to take courses over the summer.
“We don’t have enough lab time and lab space for our kids to take the science classes they need,” said Lordan.
Two art courses were added within the last year, he said.
The art studio will have new lighting, storage space and an area for art projects to dry.
Fenwick has hired Chicago-based contractor W.E. O’Neal. The firm has previously done work for DePaul University and Rush/Oak Park Hospital. Estimated cost is expected in the millions, Lordan said. The school will pay for the project through fundraising, Lordan said. Fenwick has set a tentative starting date pending approval from the village.
“It’s a matter of getting the building plans and permit issued and we’ll go from there,” said Greg Melnyk, an Oak Park attorney representing the school.
Melnyk is also a former Fenwick parent. He had not done any previous legal work for the school.
Fenwick was built in 1929. Named after Bishop Edward Dominic Fenwick of Cincinnati, the building is located in one of Oak Park’s historic districts near Washington Boulevard and Scoville Avenue.
CONTACT: tdean@wjinc.com