Two Redevelopment Proposals for Former Armstrong School Building Unveiled Ahead of Community Meeting

Two redevelopment proposals for the former Chicago Public Schools (CPS) building at 5345 W. Congress Pkwy. (formerly Louis Armstrong Elementary School) will be presented to the community at a meeting on Monday, Nov. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at BUILD Chicago, 5100 W. Harrison St. in Austin.

The school closed in 2013 as part of a 50-school round of closures announced by then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel. At a Nov. 5 community meeting held at the Columbus Park Refectory, 5701 W. Jackson Blvd., Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th Ward) said two bidders exceeded the minimum bid required by CPS. The winning bid must still be approved by the Chicago Board of Education.

One proposal comes from Chaste Hair Institute, currently located at 3 S. Austin Blvd., which plans to expand its existing cosmetology-training and salon business, Ald. Taliaferro said.

The other bid is from a nonprofit proposing a family fitness center offering exercise resources, personal training, and programs for families and children.

Ald. Taliaferro noted that the winning developer will face significant remediation costs — the former school building requires asbestos abatement, which he estimated at around $1 million. He said multiple earlier developers withdrew after preliminary inspections estimated the cost. He said Chaste first approached him two years ago, and he signaled his support for their proposal then.

“I happen to be a man of my word,” he added, confirming his continued support for the Chaste Hair Institute proposal.