The history of Crow Island School
is an interesting story. The site on which Crow Island stands was, until the
late thirties, a swamp, as was most of west Winnetka. Some of the grandparents
of our present pupils recall wading and swimming in the area when they were
children. A few high spots - "islands," were in evidence. One, where the golf
course is now located, was called "Strawberry Island," because of the profusion
of wild strawberries. Another, where the Crow Island Woods is still to be found,
was called "Crow Island" because the crows
liked to congregate there. When the Skokie Marsh was dredged to drain the area,
the fill was brought to west Winnetka and the swamps disappeared. Crow Island
Woods remains behind the school today, an exquisite natural wooded area which
provides for the school's children an outdoor laboratory for learning and a
virtually untouched forest where wildlife and wildflowers abound. Although most
of the crows have left the Island for less populated areas, Crow Island School
now has its own permanent Crow in the form of a unique metal sculpture, designed
and built by Winnetka lawyer-sculptor, Max Fleischer.
Like all good buildings, it grew
from the inside out. The needs of the children determined the individual classroom
shape and this, in turn, etermined the basic design of the building. No better
self-contained classrooms are to be found. Each classroom area has extensive
natural light from the large low windows, numerous storage areas and display
cases, its own private exit to an outdoor courtyard which the class may plant
and maintain, acoustically treated ceilings and blackboards and other fixtures
placed at the proper height for the children for whom the room was intended.
In addition to the main classroom, each room contains a workroom plus a private
lavatory.
The well designed classrooms were grouped in three separate
wings according to age level (a fourth wing was added in 1954) and connected
by a core of rooms for common use: the auditorium, library, gym, activities
room, administration and so forth. The grounds and play area extending from
the classroom wings were also zoned according to age groups which allows for
increased freedom and greater safety in play activities. Incidentally, the "jungle
gym" was developed in Winnetka's schools at this time, and the "world's first
jungle gym" may be seen on the Crow Island playground.
Whenever the history of school architecture is discussed, Crow
Island School is mentioned. In June of 1971, Lawrence B. Perkins, who headed
the effort to build the school in 1940-41, for the architectural firm of Perkins,
Wheeler and Will (now the Perkins and Will Corporation), accepted the American
Institute of Architects' 25-Year Award for the school. The award has been given
only once before, to the Rockefeller Center in New York City. Structures must
be at least 25 years old to be eligible.
The deserved fame and superbly functional characteristics of
Crow Island School stem from the painstaking planning of many people. The architects
(Mr. Perkins, Eliel and Eero Saarinen), the Superintendent of Schools (Carleton
Washburne), the Board of Education, administrators, teachers and other staff
members were responsible for giving form to the dream. The grounds were developed
by Robert Everly and John McFazean, and the lovely ceramic sculptures were done
by Lily Swann Saarinen.
In 1975 Crow Island received architectural recognition when
its recently completed Resource Center was awarded citations for excellence
of design by both the Illinois School Board Association and the American Association
of School Administration (AASA) in cooperation with the ALA, and was featured
in a display at the AASA Convention in Dallas. The U.S. Department of the Interior
designated Crow Island School as a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
