Skinner West’s $16.6 Million Annex Opens

Mark T. Skinner Elementary School achieved a Silver rating under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Schools Rating System

February, 2019

After lobbying for more room over the course of a decade, Skinner West Elementary School opened a long awaited new annex that will accommodate 400 more students. The expansion brings 22 additional classrooms to Skinner elementary schoolwhich offers both selective-enrollment and neighborhood programming.  The new annex includes a new science lab, computer lab and multipurpose room.

Construction of the four-story, 36,000-square-foot annex began in October 2017 with final costs of the annex totaling $16.6 million (almost $4M under budget).

The $16.6 million annex was paid for with CPS capital improvement funds and No Tax-Increment Financing (TIF) funds or Neighborhood Opportunity Fund dollars were used to pay for the project.

Skinner West continues to offer a high-quality education while also surpassing national education milestones. Skinner West was nationally recognized as a Blue Ribbon School in 2013, was ranked as No. 1 elementary school by Chicago magazine and sent a school science experiment on a space shuttle.

This new addition will be an “anchor” for the community and help the school continue to “serve the growing needs of the West Loop,” Clark said.

The annex was constructed by the city’s Public Building Commission and includes a new elevator and chiller. The existing Skinner West building also received renovations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adapted from Pena, Mauricio. (2019, February 25).  Skinner West’s $16.6 Million Annex Opens, Bringing 22 More Classrooms To West Loop School.

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