Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Illinois High School to See $93.2M Renovation Project

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/18/22

Officials from Springfield School District 186 in Springfield, Ill., gathered last week to break ground on renovations to Lanphier High School. The project comes with a price tag of $93.2 million and is expected for completion by December 2023. Funding comes from a 1% sales tax increase that voters passed in 2018, according to local news.

Renovations include adding a skylight to the commons area, new classroom additions, a new performing arts auditorium, a new fieldhouse with a capacity for 2,000, an esports room and workspace for the construction trades program, said District Superintendent Jennifer Gill. The project also includes a makeover for Memorial Stadium, which serves both Lanphier and the nearby Springfield High School. The stadium will get a new field, new track surface, locker rooms, concession stand and restrooms.

Gill said that one of the renovation’s primary goals was to preserve “the historical nature of Lanphier [with that main entrance], but yet make it to where it is completely redone and renewed inside,” according to local news.

“Blown away,” was the first reaction from Springfield School District 186 Board of Education member Micah Miller upon seeing the first renderings of the renovation. “I remember liking the first rendition in the master plan [from 2017]. They’re really putting a lot of thought into the form and the function, specifically the commons section that ties the new and old building together. I’m happy to see the investment in Lanphier; it’s long overdue.”

The district is partnering with BLDD Architects, Inc. for design and with O’Shea Builders for construction.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Missouri Child Development Center Completes $2.3M Expansion

    The Urban Sprouts Child Development Center in St. Louis, Mo., recently announced the completion of a $2.3-million expansion and adaptive reuse project, according to a news release. The new space includes a retail café, outdoor learning space, and a support office building.

  • Georgia State University Opens New Research Tower

    Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new, nine-story, 155,000-square-foot Research Tower, according to university news. Amenities include academic classrooms, a large lecture space, teaching labs, faculty research space, and the uppermost floors reserved for future expansion.