Niles District 71 officials have closed on the sale of the district’s former South School, 6935 W. Touhy Ave., Niles.
Maryville Academy, a nonprofit that seeks to educate students with special needs, is buying the property for $2.5 million. The academy plans to relocate Jen School from Des Plaines, and will convert the building to a high school, Maryville officials said.
Dist. 71 Board President Matt Holbrook told the Niles Journal newspaper, “We are excited that Maryville plans to renovate the existing building so it will remain part of the Niles community. The district received a fair price for the property and the proceeds will enable the district to enhance our current facilities at Culver.”
Oakbrook Terrace-based real estate company Cawley Chicago assisted the district with the sale. Cawley Principal David Conroy said, “We’re excited for the new owners to realize their vision for the building and the community. Their investment in Niles should bring a great new chapter to this building that has housed thousands of students since it was erected in the early 1930s.”
South School was the first of two buildings operated by the district. Built in 1927, it was added onto three times before the North School (renamed in the 1980s for former Supt. Clarence E. Culver) opened in 1965. The district closed South School and consolidated all operations at Culver in 1998.