CLC board wants six-story Waukegan building to look traditional
The College of Lake County board of trustees has directed the designers of the new six-story building planned for the Waukegan campus to go with a more traditional look.
The building, which will be on vacant land next to an existing college building at 111 N. Genesee St., is being built as part of a $48 million project.
The initial plan featured tall, modern windows that were three stories high in some places. That plan was introduced to the board at the June 6 meeting by designers from Waukegan-based Legat Architects. At that meeting, board members indicated they wanted to see alternate designs.
Trustees reviewed four alternatives Legat provided at the meeting Tuesday night. After deliberation, the board said it preferred the one labeled "the traditional option."
"It just looks like a college," Board President Richard Anderson said of the design for the Lakeshore campus.
Anderson said he prefers buildings that have a row of windows for every floor, a feature the initial design lacked.
"To see the windows all over the place was just too confusing for me," he said.
While the traditional option is different from the designers' original plan, it still features a three-story wall of glass along the building's east side designed to provide sweeping views of Lake Michigan. The designers will also take advantage of the lake view by including a large roof terrace.
CLC spokeswoman Diane Rarick said the design still has to go to the city of Waukegan for approval.
The college will pay the architects about $1 million for the design and construction documents, and to get the project out to bid in spring 2018.
The project's goal is to create more of a campus feel for Lakeshore, which is now made up almost entirely of previously existing buildings the college purchased and renovated.
In addition to the new six-story building, the $48 million project will pay for renovations to existing buildings on the Waukegan campus. CLC is paying around $14 million of the cost, and the state is expected to cover the rest.