In 2013, Chicago Public Schools closed 50 schools, the largest school closure in U.S. history. This left 44 empty school buildings, almost all of which are in majority Black neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides—with 28 schools remaining vacant today.

This thesis seeks to reclaim the school building type and reinstate closed schools as essential social and civic infrastructure. Through a series of incremental interventions and a community ownership model, school buildings can respond to local needs while retaining and reinventing their role as vital community loci.

In partnership with a public architect, the timeline from closure to occupancy is accelerated, creating long-term relationships and systems of maintenance and care responding to current and future needs.