Possible future learning spaces for Evanston Township High School include a small building addition that would house culinary and visual arts spaces.
Michael Dolter, senior project architect from Perkins & Will, presented several planned and potential new Arts and Innovation Wing upgrades at ETHS to the District 202 Board of Education at its Monday night meeting at the high school.
These forward-looking projects are included in the district’s five-year Capital Improvement Plan, which outlines the district’s projects and budgetary goals until 2028. The board unanimously approved the plan at the meeting.
These plans for updates come as the school celebrates the centennial of its campus, completed in 1924.
‘Once again, something bold’
“In 1921 this district set out to do something pretty incredible,” District Superintendent Marcus Campbell said. “I think we hold it upon ourselves to do, once again, something bold that lays the foundation for the next 100 years.”
The district plans to find funding for these projects primarily through philanthropic efforts of the ETHS Foundation. While projects for the next year are locked in, future endeavors depend on feedback and budgeting, and can change in future five-year plans.
“We continually have a feedback mechanism for any one of the parts of the process of the project that we’re working on,” Dolter said. “We have the distinct phases during that, which will review the process, make sure that it accurately reflects the needs of the school and then understand what the budget is.”
Starting in 2025
Work will start in the summer of 2025 in the Arts and Innovation Wing with some much-needed window replacements, masonry work and roof updates.
“We’re also anticipating starting construction of a yearlong phase of work that would include the addition of a new studio theater,” Dolter said. “It is a multipurpose performing arts space that will replace the small theater.”
This construction phase will expand a vestibule off the wing and add an orchestra classroom to meet growing music education needs. It will also straighten out a currently disjointed hallway in the wing. This will make an easier path for a future addition, Dolter explained.
Into the future
The timelines for projects beyond these are yet to be determined, according to Dolter. He hopes they will have designs available for the board in January, so future projects can go out to bid in the fall and start the following summer, in 2026.
The draft future plans include a culinary arts kitchen, visual arts space and expansion of the current main auditorium’s lobby area. These projects will be approved in future years’ budgets.
“I can’t not be excited by pictures of glossy spaces like this,” said Board Member Gretchen Livingston, “but I have all kinds of questions about the money.”
The board did not discuss specifics of costs for future projects at this meeting, as the ETHS Foundation is currently in a quiet phase of fundraising.
“We’re hoping that by May, we might be at about 50% in terms of commitments,” Jeff Hammock, the ETHS Foundation’s new chief advancement officer, said of their fundraising efforts.
