CREDITS
Architect: John Ronan Architects
CLIENT: Comer Science & Education Foundation
Size: 45,000 sq. ft.
SOURCES
Exterior cladding: Apolic (composite panels); Centria (corrugated stainless steel)
Glazing: Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope; Viracon; Arch Aluminum & Glass
Skylights: Super Sky
Like the nearby youth center, completed in 2006 and also designed by Ronan [architectural record, February 2008, page 114], the school was built by the science and education-focused nonprofit organization created by the late Gary Comer, founder of mail-order clothing retailer Lands' End, who grew up in the neighborhood. Run by Chicago charter school operator Noble Street, Comer Prep admitted its first students in the fall of 2008, holding classes in the youth center before moving into the newer building this past September, with 500 freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.
Although the school now has its own purpose-built home, it uses many of the youth center's facilities daily, including the cafeteria and the combined auditorium and gymnasium. This sharing allows the newer building to be "lean," says Ronan. The steel-frame and precast-concrete structure encloses about 45,000 square feet for a population that is expected to top out next fall at 600 students in grades 9 through 12, almost all from the South Side.
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