The former West Pullman Elementary School building on Chicago’s Far South Side was approved as an official City of Chicago landmark by City Council today.

Featuring masonry details embellished with stone, molded brick, terra cotta and decorative metal, the block-long school structure at 11917-51 S. Parnell Ave. illustrates a progressive period of school design and innovation from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries.

The original school building was built in the Romanesque Revival style by architect W. August Fiedler in 1894. A three-story addition designed in Classical Revival style by architect William B. Mundie was added to its north side in 1900, followed by another Classical Revival-style addition by architect John C. Christensen in 1923.

The designation will protect the exteriors of all three phases from significant alteration or demolition.

Closed in 2013, the building is proposed to be converted into affordable senior apartments. The designation was recommended by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks in March.

# # #