Hirsch Associates

Cheder Labovich Day School
Chicago, Illinois

A former two-story Cineplex Odeon was donated to the Cheder Labovich by its previous owner. The owners were not sure what to do with this out-of-date building with sloped floors, Hirsch Associates developed a concept to convert it into a Jewish Day School for Girls. A floor plan consisting of multiple classrooms, office space and multi-purpose rooms was inserted into the existing plan. The structure was in-filled to provide for flat floors and to meet the structural load requirements of a school. New windows were cut into the existing concrete block exterior, giving the whole building a new look, befitting of a school. In the end, a lack of parking and the cost for the renovation caused this plan to be shelved, but the final design was a creative approach to the re-use of a difficult structure that had become a white elephant in its north side community.