Former students gather to say goodbye to old Wheaton Central

Grant Eckoff has many fond memories from his time at the old Wheaton Central High School.

Some were standard high school high jinks, like the time he snuck a rag-tag group of students into the building to decorate the school for prom.

Other memories, notably the debate during the 1970s over creating a new school to replace the aging campus along Roosevelt Road, were more profound.

"Some of the best people I ever met were at this school," said Eckoff, an attorney and member of the DuPage County Board. "From now until the day I die, I will be orange and black."

Eckoff joined hundreds of alumni and friends Saturday at Hubble Middle School to say goodbye to the former high school campus.

With a new Hubble building set to open in August in Warrenville, district officials wanted to give people the opportunity to tour the Wheaton location while it's still a school. The building, which previously housed Wheaton Community High School and Wheaton Central High School, opened in 1925. It was a high school until 1992.

As part of Saturday's free activities, visitors were able to look at a collection of yearbooks and other memorabilia from the building's 84-year history. School officials presented a plaque from the campus to Wheaton's Center for History during a short program recognizing the history of the facility.

"What a great testimony of the spirit of this school to have so many people come back today," said Andrew Johnson, school board president of Wheaton Warrenville District 200. "Now the future of this place is to make it a gateway to Wheaton's downtown."

As for the future Hubble, school officials have said construction is going well on the new building along Herrick Road between Butterfield and Warrenville roads.

Meanwhile, real estate consultants are working to determine the best future use for the Wheaton site.

S.B. Friedman and Co., a Chicago-based consulting firm the city hired, is expected to take two years to create a redevelopment plan for the 22-acre property before a developer is selected. According to the consultants' timeline, a developer for the site could be hired by the city in 2011.