Driscoll Catholic High exhibit to open in April

The project is behind schedule, but alumni and supporters of the Driscoll Legacy Corridor in Addison still are thrilled to watch their homage to the shuttered Driscoll Catholic High School take shape.

Peg Senese, a corridor organizer, said the project now is slated for unveiling in early or mid-April. It is the brainchild of the Save Driscoll Foundation, a grass-roots group that unsuccessfully tried to prevent the financially troubled school from closing last spring.

The Driscoll Legacy Corridor will be a permanent exhibit in Addison village hall, 1 Friendship Plaza, dedicated to the school's history.

"We were originally hoping for a holiday opening, but there were a number of logistical issues we needed to design around," Senese said.

The project is about 75 percent complete, she added, with painting, carpeting and shelving all in place. Organizers will fill cabinets and shelves with roughly 200 artifacts, including trophies, banners and photos from Driscoll's 43-year history.

"It's the finishing touches that need to be in place, but the heavy construction is done," Senese said.

To generate the $50,000 - the group only had about half that amount saved - the foundation held fundraisers, including a benefit last October that garnered $6,000. As part of the event, Driscoll supporters could purchase or bid on artifacts that couldn't fit into the permanent collection.

"It was great to give some of this stuff a home," Senese said.

The fate of the building where Driscoll operated, at 555 N. Lombard Road in Addison, is still unknown.

A spokesman for Bishop J. Peter Sartain said Thursday the Joliet Diocese has not made a decision on the facility's future, especially because it needs major repairs. Spokesman Doug Delaney said demolishing the building also is an option.

"Everything is on the table, I suppose," Delaney said. "We're assessing its options and we've had calls but no formal offers on the property. There was a lot of speculation of what was going to happen and, like we said all along, we had no plans. Our focus was getting the Driscoll students to new schools and this property was a secondary thing to take care of."

The diocese is responsible for maintenance and insurance on the building.