News release: Landmarks Illinois has selected the Henry Ford Academy: Power House Charter High School on Chicago's West Side as its project of the year. The project renovated a power plant built in 1905 at the Sears and Roebuck Co. headquarters in Chicago's Lawndale neighborhood and converted it for educational use. The high school moved into the former power house at the beginning of the 2009-10 school year.
RELATED: Read Unique Impressions, an AS&U article about the conversion of the power plant to a high school facility.
SEPTEMBER 2009....From The Chicago Tribune: A team of architects, foundation leaders and consultants has turned an old power plant that once served Sears, Roebuck & Co.'s massive Chicago headquarters into a public charter high school. Named the Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center, the building houses Power House High, which will welcome its first students Tuesday. The $40 million project, aided by $17 million in federal tax credits, has recovered the architectural glory of the old power plant, especially in a soaring turbine room with glistening white brick walls and tall, arched windows. Throughout are energy-saving features that are expected to earn the center a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.
