CPS School torn down after Our Lady of the Angels Fire


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CPS School torn down after Our Lady of the Angels Fire
Posted by: Gorf ()
Date: April 15, 2014 09:39PM

Sometime after the Our Lady of the Angels school fire, the CPS tore down the original building for Columbus School on Augusta between Hoyne and Leavitt. What stands now as the Columbus School was originally just the addition to the main building. I'm hoping someone can help me find a picture of the original building, information or articles about the demolition and to confirm whether or not the Our Lady of Angels disaster (about a mile or two away) was the reason the old building was demolished.
Thanks in advance!

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Re: CPS School torn down after Our Lady of the Angels Fire
Posted by: Dunning1 ()
Date: April 16, 2014 11:52AM

I am not familiar with the Columbus School that you mention, but there was a satellite branch of Thorp School located at the south east corner of Addison St. and Narragansett Avenue. This was a frame building. I remember that right after the OLA fire, the building was torn down. Now, several apartment buildings occupy the land. I believe that the buildings are actually built on a ground lease, similar to other Board of Education property leased out for non educational use.

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Re: CPS School torn down after Our Lady of the Angels Fire
Posted by: PKDickman ()
Date: April 16, 2014 11:39PM

According to the Trib, they demolished the old part in 1960.
Close enough to the fire that it probably had something to do with it.
But school systems like to mothball buildings to use for storage, etc..
I suspect that they decided that several weren't worth the cost of sprinkler installation.

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Re: CPS School torn down after Our Lady of the Angels Fire
Posted by: Gorf ()
Date: April 16, 2014 11:53PM

Thanks PKDickman! Any chance you have a link to that article?

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Re: CPS School torn down after Our Lady of the Angels Fire
Posted by: PKDickman ()
Date: April 17, 2014 01:00AM

Gorf Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks PKDickman! Any chance you have a link to
> that article?

I can't give a direct link. I found it in the Trib historic archives. These are available for free to chicago public library cardholders at:
http://www.chipublib.org/resource/
There wasn't a whole lot of info.
After the fire they were inspected by the underwriters. No specifics just that they were one of several that had been inspected so far.
Another article in 1960 was that the contract for the demo had been let.
Another mention was in 1961, in an article complaining about a citywide shortage of classrooms.

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