One of the things we love best about Chicago Public Schools is the continuous commitment to building beautiful architecture for their students! Chicago’s historic schools are instantly recognizable for their amazing turn-of-the-century brickwork, and today’s architects have followed this tradition when designing contemporary additions and new buildings.
High-performing Minnie Mars Jamieson Elementary School in Peterson Park was one of several northside publics chools facing severe overcrowding in 2015. In planning for an expansion, the architects wanted to pay homage to the beautiful blend of warm buff bricks used on the original structure (built sometime in the early 1900s).
To this end, we provided a custom blend of utility-size Interstate Brick in “Golden Buff,” “Desert Sand,” and “Caramel,” as well as special lipped stretcher shapes for the LEED-certified addition. Fourteen new classrooms, as well as additional space for teachers, electives, and dining were added as part of the annex. Our small business buddies at Rauch Clay provided the dark grey glazed brick units, resulting in a finished product that’s equal parts contemporary and classic.
LOCATION: 5650 N Mozart St, Chicago, IL 60659
Read more about this project through the Public Building Commission.
ARCHITECTS: Architrave, Ltd + SMNG-A
LEED CONSULTANT: HUS Architecture
GC: Old Veteran Construction
MASON: ALL Masonry
CARPENTRY: Toro Construction
PRODUCTS SUPPLIED: Interstate Brick
