ANDERSONVILLE — The fate of shuttered Lyman Trumbull Elementary School has been decided.
Ald. Pat O'Connor (40th) said in an email Monday night Svigos Development was the highest bidder for the repurposing of the school building near the intersection of Ashland Avenue and Foster Avenue.
Svigos plans to transform the property into residential units and will partner with TimeLine Theatre Company, which will be housed on the first floor, O'Connor said.
"The TimeLine Theatre Company presents stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Our collaborative artistic team produces provocative theatre and educational programs that engage, entertain and enlighten," according to their website.
The architectural gem in thriving Andersonville had garnered a lot of attention from potential buyers and developers. CPS closed it, along with 49 other city schools that officials deemed underutilized.
Svigos' bid was presented and deemed acceptable at a community meeting last fall. The Waldorf school was the second highest bidder and would be considered if Svigos pulls out of the deal, O'Connor said.
At a town hall meeting last year, neighbors feared the building could succumb to the wrecking ball, reduced to rubble after standing prominently for more than a century. It was designed by Prairie School architect Dwight Perkins, an accomplished designer of school buildings including Graeme Stewart Elementary School in Uptown, and the man behind Lincoln Park Zoo's award-winning lion house. Perkins served as the Board of Education's chief architect more than a century ago.
For now, Svigos will work with the Chicago Board of Education to finalize the purchase, O'Connor said.
This is a developing story.
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