Brick by brick: Historic, dilapidated school demolished in Polo

POLO — A steady stream of onlookers drove past the Congress School on Tuesday as workers continued to demolish the historic, but dilapidated, school building that had stood in Polo for 126 years.

Workers from Fischer Excavating of Freeport began demolishing the north section of Congress School, 208 N. Congress Ave., on March 27 – creating small clouds of dust as the 18-inch-thick brick walls were collapsed, sparking waves of nostalgia from former students.

Most of the school’s newer edition built in the late 1940s – located on the north side of the building – was removed by Friday, allowing demolition crews to start razing the original, larger portion of the once-grand school Monday.

A portion of the brick wall that faced the alley to the east was caved in by crews late Tuesday afternoon.

“They are digging out the center now, which is wood, not brick,” Public Works Director Kendall Kyker said Tuesday afternoon. “Then they [Fischer’s] will start caving the walls in rather than out. This is not their first rodeo. They know what they are doing.”

Kyker said it is likely that Congress Street, between Locust and Dixon streets, will be closed to traffic when the west walls of the 1899 school are taken down.

“That would just be a safety precaution,” Kyker said. “My guess is that entire building will be down by the end of this week.”

Eventually, bricks from the building will be available to the public at no charge, placed outside the fenced demolition area on the northwest and southwest corners.

“We want no one inside the fenced area, ever,” Kyker said.

Demolition of the 41,000-square-foot building is estimated to take at least three weeks. When completed, the 1.12-acre lot will be completely free of asphalt and concrete, covered with dirt and seeded.

“Once they have the debris hauled out, they will crush the concrete into gravel and cover with dirt so we can grow grass,” Kyker said. “The whole lot will be completely free of of blacktop and concrete. It will kind of look like a park.”

The Polo City Council voted unanimously March 12 to demolish the school, citing potential liability issues and a public safety risk. The building had not been used as a school for many years and has since sat vacant.

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Workers from Fischer Excavating of Freeport demolish a portion of the east wall of the Congress School, 208 N. Congress Ave., on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Polo. Demolition of the 41,000-square-foot school built in 1899 is expected to continue this week. (Earleen Hinton)

“The city of Polo is taking action to address a growing safety concern regarding the old Congress School building,” the city announced. “Unfortunately, the structure has become a target for break-ins, creating a serious liability and public safety risk. After careful consideration and a public meeting, we have declared this an emergency and will be moving forward with its demolition.

The city purchased the towering vacant building in August 2023 for $15,000. In October 2024, council members unanimously voted to accept a $66,900 bid from Husar Abatement LTD of Franklin Park to abate asbestos in the original portion of the school that was built in 1899.

The building and its two parking lots take up the east side of the 200 block of North Congress Avenue.

According to March 12 meeting minutes, Kyker told the council that when he let Husar Abatement in to remove the asbestos, he had to remove all the boards that had been put on the doors to prevent people from getting in.

After Husar Abatement left, Kyker said the boards were not immediately reinstalled, and he later noticed that several windows had been broken and there was evidence that people had been inside the school.

The doors were boarded again, but Kyker told the board that he was concerned people would continue to try to break into the school, creating a potential liability issue for the city.

Attorney Tom Suits agreed that the building posed a safety concern because of its dilapidated condition. The city approved a bid from Fischer Excavating to demolish the building for $230,000.

Congress School History

The complete story of Congress School started with the formation of Polo’s school district in 1857. When the north and south school districts were combined in 1867, a new school was built for the new district at the corner of West Dixon Street and North Congress Avenue.

That eight-room blue limestone building that could accommodate 500 elementary to high school students quickly became overcrowded and by 1899 it was torn down and the new Congress School opened in November 1899.

The 1899 building was designed by Joseph Lyman Silsbee, who was a prominent American architect during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He is most known for his works in Chicago as well as Syracuse and Buffalo, New York.

Congress served as Polo’s high school before the high school was moved to a building on East Mason Street – now known as Aplington Middle School – until Polo Community High School was built.

Up until Congress School closed, there were four schools in the district. They were Centennial Elementary School, built in 1957, for kindergarten to fourth-grade students; Congress for kindergarteners to sixth graders; Aplington, where seventh and eighth graders attended; and the high school.

The main entrance to Congress School faced West Locust Street. It had a grass lawn with a walkway leading up to its front doors, which were framed by a large portico supported by four pillars.

In March 1985, the Polo School Board voted 4-3 to close Congress and later that year, the school was formally closed and put up for sale.

Over the years the building passed through many different private owners, each with their own idea of what to do with the building. Some wanted to turn it into apartments or restore it to its historical value, which would cost millions, Kyker said in an earlier interview.

Eventually, high renovation costs and the large size of the building caused it to fall into disrepair, Kyker said.

Payton Felix contributed to this story.