McHenry City Council protects Landmark School exterior with landmark status

If McHenry School District 15 or a future developer wants to make change to the exterior of Landmark School, they will now need approval from the Landmark Commission and the McHenry City Council.

The council voted unanimously Monday evening to grant landmark status to the 130-year-old school on Waukegan Road. The designation does not prevent remodeling on the building’s interiors but requires a certificate of appropriateness from the two city entities to make any changes to the building’s historic facade.

“I see you guys as guardians” of the building and McHenry’s history, said Jeff Varda before the vote. The former chairman of the city’s Landmark Commission, Varda also told the council he has started the process of getting the school on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The $13 million was to shock everybody and give them a reason to get rid of it.”

—  McHenry Alderman Andy Glab, 2nd Ward

Work by the Landmark Commission to protect the school’s exterior began after the district announced plans to close the building. Since 2001, it has housed the district’s year-round classroom schedule, a school-of-choice program that required families to apply for a lottery to have children attend there.

In July, citing a $10 million to $13 million price tag to bring the building up to the same standards as other district schools, the board voted to close the school at the end of the current 2024-25 school year.

That vote came after three often-heated community meetings in late spring seeking parent input on the plans to close the school. Although several parents voiced their objections to the plans – and promised to run against board members in the spring because of the decision – only incumbents turned in their paperwork to run for the board in the April 1, 2025, elections.

The school district’s estimate was not only to bring the school up to code, but to expand the gym, lunchroom and other spaces, Varda said.

“The $13 million was to shock everybody and give them a reason to get rid of it,” said Alderman Andy Glab, 2nd Ward, adding he attended the school board meeting in April when its future was brought up for discussion.

The building may have a future beyond being a school, officials said.

“Historic schools are excellent candidates for adaptive reuse,” Varda said.

McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett agreed.

”There are developers who look for buildings like this,” Jett said. “We would partner with with them … to keep the building there. That was never the intention, to demolish the building.”

Some council members were concerned that if design guidelines were too strident, any future development could be difficult.

“I am concerned we are placing a hardship on District 15 to sell, market and repurpose the property,” 7th Ward Alderwoman Sue Miller said.

“If we pass this and make it a landmark, how does that affect the city down the road?” asked Alderman Andy Davis, 5th Ward, questioning whether the city could end up owning the property. He was also concerned about the price tag connected to the building as outlined by the school district.