Program
Irvin Henderson Main Street Revitalization Fund
New Markets Tax Credits
$3.25 Million
Total Project Cost
$4.7 Million
Project Partner
The Field School
Impact
Education Access
History
A Historic West Chicago School
Built in 1907, the Francis Scott Key Public School served Chicago’s South Austin neighborhood for more than a century. Designed by Dwight Perkins, then chief architect for Chicago Public Schools, the building originally accommodated 300 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Enrollment surged to nearly 800 by the late 1960s, creating overcrowded conditions that persisted for decades. Teachers’ lounges and even closets were converted into classrooms to meet demand.
As new charter schools opened in the early 2000s, enrollment declined sharply. In 2013, the Chicago Board of Education closed 49 schools, including Key, the largest single wave of school closures in U.S. history. Vacant for nearly a decade, a new chapter began for the building in 2017.
Revitalization Efforts
New Educational Opportunity in Chicago
Completed in 2023, the former Key School annex now serves as the new home of The Field School, an independent elementary school founded in 2017 to meet the needs of low-income students on Chicago’s West Side.
Moving from its rented Oak Park space, the school purchased the historic Key School buildings to expand enrollment from 150 to 400. This revitalization preserves the building’s character while creating modern, community-centered learning spaces.
The revitalization efforts have helped the students and community of Chicago’s South Austin neighborhood in the following ways:
Community Impact
Transforming Lives Through Learning
The Field School has moved from its rented church space into the revitalized Key School building, creating room to grow beyond its previous 150-student limit. With the new facility, enrollment can increase by up to 240 students, and with the second phase complete, the school has capacity for 400 students. This expansion ensures long-term stability and provides modern learning spaces for families on Chicago’s West Side.
Relocating from the more affluent Oak Park neighborhood to South Austin allows the Field School to better fulfill its mission of serving children who lack equitable access to quality education. At least half of the school’s seats are reserved for families from low-income homes. Currently, 25% of students come from extremely low-income households earning less than $30,000 annually, and the school aims to raise that figure to 30% or more.
Increased Enrollment
The larger facility will support a capacity of 400 students.
Low-Income Community Support
25% low-income student base with a goal of 30%
Educational Access
Students no longer need to commute out of the neighborhood for high-quality education.
NTCIC & Progress
Financing the Project
NTCIC provided critical financing through a $3.25 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from its Irvin Henderson Main Street Revitalization Fund. This support made the acquisition and rehabilitation of the historic Key School building possible in the time required in their bid to the city for the building, ensuring the Field School could relocate and expand without significant delays.
The $4.7 million project leveraged NMTC financing alongside millions in fundraising by the Field School. This investment reduced the school’s fundraising burden and allowed construction to be completed on schedule, creating modern educational spaces that serve the South Austin neighborhood and support long-term community revitalization.
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