New field house highlights massive renovation project at Maine West

Maine West High School was built in 1959 atop what had been farm fields in Des Plaines, to serve the needs of the growing Northwest suburb.

More than six decades later, the school is in the midst of a renewal, highlighted by a new, multifunctional field house district officials showed off Wednesday.

The field house and other upgrades at the school, as well as at Maine East and Maine South, are funded largely through a $240 million improvement plan Maine Township High School District 207 launched in 2020. The plan is funded largely through a $195 million bond referendum voters approved in November 2018.

The new Maine West field house will feature four basketball courts, an indoor track, a long jump area and a batting cage that drops down from the ceiling.

Assistant Superintendent Mary Kalou said the school also is undergoing major classroom renovations.

"I think the kids are really engaged and surprised every time they come back and see a new renovated space," she said.

Maine West also is planning a two-story cafeteria. Workers will cut a giant hole in what is known as the Commons and add a staircase that will split the dining on two levels. "Needed space" is how Kalou summed it up.

Many other upgrades aren't as visible, but no less important. They include lighting and ventilation improvements.

For more on the upgrades, visit maine207.org/construction/.