Details have been revealed for a new school and dormitory at 6801 N California Avenue in West Ridge on the Far North Side. Located on the corner with W Pratt Boulevard not too far from the famed W Devon Avenue strip, the new school is being built by the Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago and replacing an existing one-story strip mall recently purchased to be torn down. The Mesivta, or secondary school, is working with a local architect to construct the Yeshiva building, or school building.
Current site of 6801 N California Avenue via Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago
Founded in 1996 with just a handful of students, the Hasidic Jewish academy has now grown to have over 750 alumni and 135 active students providing a unique advanced education that merges with their religious values as well as with supporting the community. Currently the school does not have a singular building, instead it is spread across nine neighborhood locations including four residences, two community Mikvahs, three study buildings, and a total of six classrooms, requiring students to traverse the neighborhood multiple times a day.
Ground floor plan of 6801 N California Avenue via Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago
Rising three stories and 38 feet in height across the 19,315-square-foot lot, the classically designed structure will contain 30,000 square feet of space and is the first phase of the project. Inside it will be nine classrooms, multiple large study rooms, administrative offices, a library, a nearly 3,000-square-foot dining room and more, supported by eight on-site parking spaces. A future phase of the project will replace adjacent structures with an additional nearly 30,000 square feet of space including a dormitory, creating an enclosed campus.
Partial second floor plan of 6801 N California Avenue via Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago
Though not much more information is known, the project has applied for rezoning through city council from B1-1 Neighborhood Shopping District to that of a similar B1-2 Neighborhood Shopping District. No budget or construction timeline has currently been revealed for the initial project and subsequent phases, but once approval is received we can likely expect a 12 to 18 month working timeline based on similarly sized buildings in the past. A presentation video for the school can be found here.
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This looks very cool. Great development
So refreshing to see a classical structure with (apparently) a stone facade and (definitely) semicircular arched windows. Couldn’t ask for a finer replacement for a corner strip mall. It’s going to be a stunner on that corner.