Old Libertyville High listed on National Register of Historic Places

The mission to revive the former Libertyville High School as a community center gets a boost with its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Built in 1916, the school and adjoining Jackson Gym, completed in 1929, were placed on the official national list of cultural resources deemed worthy of preservation on July 16.

"The federal government is recognizing important properties that should be preserved," said Andrew Heckenkamp, who is responsible for National Register Review and designation for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

The joint designation, Libertyville's eighth listing, was not unexpected. In April, the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council recommended the listings, an opinion usually approved at the national level.

While it is considered an honor, the designation does not impose any limitations on what can be done - including demolition - to the buildings at Park Avenue and Route 176.

"The hope is it is preserved and is important to the community, but there are no restrictions," Heckenkamp said.

Nothing is likely to happen soon. The hope is it will help sway investors and leverage grants for what could be a $15 million conversion of the buildings for public use.

"That opens that up to possibilities of grants and gets other people's attention," said Libertyville Trustee Bob Peron, president of the nonprofit Brainerd Community Center group overseeing the effort.

According to the state preservation agency, the Brainerd building, which opened as a township high school, is historic due to its association with the community. It is also a good example of Collegiate Gothic and Georgian Colonial Revival architecture.

Jackson Gym has an elevated indoor track and seats 1,500 and was considered a premier athletic venue in its earlier years.

Both are owned by Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128, which battled for years with the village over their disposition. They were last used for academics in 1999 and closed in 2004 because of safety and accessibility concerns.

A compromise was reached in November 2006 in which the village will lease the buildings for 50 years at a total rent of $1.25 million.

A key provision delays the first payment of $250,000 until late 2011 and allows the village to opt out before then. It was structured that way to give the community center group time to see if their plans and fundraising will be viable.

So far it has been uphill, and the group is far from a goal of $100,000 to produce plans for the buildings.

"That would give us all the working drawings for the renovation," Peron said. "The first thing people who give out grants want to see are your plans."

Interior spaces would be used as is, although some alterations would be removed. Exteriors would be renovated but look the same once complete, according to Peron.

An outside review would be required if state or federal funds are used.