DNA Info: Englewood Schools Closed in 2013 Eyed for Numerous Uses

Elihu Yale School 7025 S. Princeton Ave

Some good ideas for the six empty elementary school buildings that dot the landscape in Englewood. Hopefully those buildings and others around the city don't remain vacant & unused for the foreseeable future. We mentioned this event last Thursday.

When Chicago Public Schools closed 50 schools in 2013, six Englewood schools were shuttered, and now residents want to see those empty buildings used to benefit the community.

One idea was to create a Bernie Mac production center. The late entertainer, whose real name was Bernard McCullough, was an Englewood native.

A Bernie Mac center at one of the schools would "allow students to see that careers in entertainment are also behind the scenes and not always on stage," said Asiaha Butler, president of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, which organized a Friday retreat on the shuttered schools issue at Lindblom Math & Science Academy High School, 6130 S. Wolcott Ave.

Another idea Lindblom Principal Alan Mather had was to reopen the former Charles Earle Elementary School, 6151 S. Hermitage Ave., as a new elementary school. Mather said he would present his proposal to CPS in the next few weeks.

"Let's see how the proposal goes first before we get into specifics," Mather said. "But I envision having students in kindergarten through sixth grade at the school."

The other five school buildings are Elihu Yale, 7025 S. Princeton Ave; Daniel Wentworth, 6950 S. Sangamon St; Benjamin Mays, 838 W. Marquette Road; Arna Bontemps, 1241 W. 58th St; and Granville Woods Math & Science Academy, 6206 S. Racine Ave.

Other building uses suggested by residents were a shopping mall that would include Englewood businesses, a grocery store, a business park, a wellness center, a family entertainment center, a bed and breakfast, an urban farm and a museum dedicated to Englewood's history.

You can find more photos of this event at RAGE's official website.