Want a Reason to Save Brainerd? (Part 1)

We get a lot of questions about our drive to save the Brainerd Building and turn it into a community arts center. In coming blog posts, I hope to answer those questions and show how the BCC would benefit the entire area and explaining restoration costs and cultural impact.

Today, let's look at the historical significance of the building. The Brainerd building was Libertyville's first high school--indeed the first high school in Central Lake County, including students from Mundelein, Vernon Hills, and Round Lake. It was built in 1916 and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Jackson Gym, built in 1929, was one of the area's top athletic venues, hosting basketball and even boxing. Many area residents still remember running along the indoor track that circles the gym.

In 1954, when the Butler Lake building was opened, Brainerd became a Freshman-only building, and remained so, with a brief break in 1961-62 when Mundelein High School was built. During that time, there was talk about turning it into a community center, but it went back to being a freshman building until 1999, when Vernon Hills High School was built. That year, the building was tapped to star in the movie New Port South, and after that the building lay idle until the idea of making it into a community center resurfaced, this time with gusto. 

One claim to fame is that Marlon Brando attended the school, participating in drama and football here. (And no, he never rode his motorcycle through the halls, but his name is said to be etched somewhere on the back wall of the auditorium stage, and it's said--in jest--that his ghost haunts the halls.) 

The building, though left to fall into disrepair, has a lot of life left, and holds precious  memories for many in our area. It would be a shame to throw it all away. We'll talk more about the upcoming referendum, costs of restoration, and what the building could be in future blogs.