September 16, 2015

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After a brief two week Throwback Thursday hiatus this week we jump right back and visit May 1962 to highlight the opening of the Epstein designed and engineered 9-classroom addition to the Northwood School in Highland Park, Illinois. This Northwood Junior High School expansion included a new library, choral and band room, arts, science, lunch, assembly and administrative space.

The new expansion space at Northwood features a design reminiscent of the timeless 1939 Eero Saarinen design for Winnetkas Crow Island School, including design elements like providing significant daylighting and operable windows as well as placing a building so that is in harmony with its natural surroundings.

Interestingly, this $400,000 ($3.2M in 2015) addition came just a couple years after the original 13-classroom building was completed and was the result of the Highland Park-Highwood School district planning ahead for what they assumed, and rightfully so, would be a population spike in this far northern Chicago suburb.

If you are curious, Northwood School is still a thriving Junior High School with an enrollment of nearly 500 students and from recent views courtesy of Google Earth, where you can also see the adjacent Epstein designed Wayne Thomas Elementary School as well, looks to be in really good shape.