Charles H. Shaw Technology and Learning Center: Powerhouse High School

Rehabilitation & Adaptive Reuse Powered by History

Chicago’s Powerhouse High School is the result of historic preservation rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the 1906 Sears Roebuck and Co. power supply house, transforming it into a charter school with unique opportunities to teach, learn from, and live with sustainable design.

Through an integrated design process, the consultant team worked to preserve the exterior façade, industrial-age machinery, and open space on site while providing accessible parking.

The project approach split the building into two large spaces–with one side subdivided into floors for classrooms, while the more historically significant side known as the Great Hall with large arched windows and Tiffany & Co. wall tiles, serves as the school’s assembly and cafeteria needs. The glazed brick interior of the north half was preserved as a voluminous gathering space, while the south half was gutted to insert three floors of classrooms. The gantry crane structure on the south façade originally served to unload coal from train cars on the rail spur; it now provides sun shading and emergency access for firefighters.

Like most power plant sites the Sears Power House was a brownfield on the exterior and extensive contamination on the interior. The soil was made up of  several feet of accumulated coal dust, requiring selective removal and/or capping. The interiors were full of asbestos and lead both requiring remediation.