My husband and I visited the Stewart School Lofts on July 30 after making a appointment with property and leasing manager, Judy Truong. We're considering leasing or buying a small unit as a 2nd home in the city and this was our first stop. A close friend alerted me about this opportunity.
In advance of our appointment I received information about the history of the school, more than I had ever known or recalled before. I attended Stewart Grammar School from the 1st thru 8th grade graduation and was a resident of Uptown from the early 1950s until about 1964. Judy was delighted to finally meet a student who attended the school and is now waiting for a former teacher!
While I wish the school could have remained a learning institution, it's not this old buildings fault and in the end was not meant to be. I'm just happy this school, that meant so much to the community over the years and could not speak for itself, has attained "landmark" status. It was saved from the wrecking ball, unlike other structures in the neighborhood and other parts of the city that have been leveled in the name of progress. The building exterior has been restored to reflect its 1905 origins with the school name adorning the front. I got goose bumps when I first saw it again after 58 years.
Judy showed us all five floors via a new feature that was added - an elevator. The wide stairwells that made up the interior and side entrances have been retained and many of the classroom features as well including; blond oak flooring with nail holes from the wrought iron and wood desks that were set in for over 100 years; brick walls that had been covered with drywall are now exposed and warm up the rooms; clear transom windows above apartment entry doors or within the spaces reveal the classroom numbers; the floors in various apartments that made up the school gym have been maintained with the lines delineating the basketball court that was there for years; some of the apartments have the original blackboards in their great rooms that would be a delight for families with young children to doddle on versus the walls!
The most dramatic feature was always the 8-9 foot high windows that have all been replaced with energy saving features and give real character to the spaces. A standard feature of each unit is the shades that let thru light yet offer privacy. Additional sound proofing has been added between floors and apartments so the developer definitely didn't spare an expense. The new appliances and fixtures, clean/sleek lines and open concept offer what renters are looking for today. The units definitely have the loft feel with their 14 foot ceilings and exposed piping.
The basement now houses 40+ parking spaces which I never knew existed. The cafeteria has been divided into garden apartments. As students, we ate there every day for lunch or could go out and eat at neighborhood restaurants that were only a block from school. Kids are probably restricted from doing that today. The basement was also the place we went for the frequent air raid drills where we'd hunker down on the floor until the drill was over.
Morningside, the developer that purchased the school through the Chicago Public School's Building Re-Purposing and Sales Program , added patios where possible, skylights and the roof of the building has been utilized and transformed into a roof top garden with greenery, seating, a grill and fire pit to be enjoyed by the residents and their guests.
To say I was moved to tears after our tour is an understatement. I received a great education at Stewart learning to love language arts, art history, music, government, science, geography, etc. I especially loved the school musicals that were produced by the talented teachers who came up with the ideas, wrote lyrics and engaged all the student participation. My particular class was involved in special musicals singing in harmony the songs of eras long gone. I still recall the lyrics today and my love for all types of music was formed in those early years.
Thank you to my teachers, Miss Kaplan, Miss Risk, Miss Schlimmer, Miss Blount, Mr. Murray and Mr. Motanky for your dedicated service and love of teaching. I often wonder what path your lives took after Stewart. Living in the diverse community of Uptown with its pockets of American Indian, Appalachian, African American, Japanese, Jewish and Greek families taught me about diversity, tolerance and prepared me for the "real" world. Plus the "hood" offered a library, theaters, shopping and the lake!
And last, thank you to the Morningside developers who had the vision to blend the old and the new in this revitalized space and for understanding this is part of the history of the city and Chicago education and to Judy for being such a gracious emissary of the New Stewart. I hope all the new residents will appreciate the legacy that was Stewart School and enjoy living there.
Barbara (Youngberg) Hanson
. read more
