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History
A History of Robert A. Waller • Lincoln Park High School
One Hundred Years in Lincoln Park
One-hundred years ago a high school was built at the
corner of Orchard and Armitage (then Center Street), right in the heart of Lincoln Park, a
growing community on Chicago’s north side. As the city of Chicago recovered from the
Great Fire and began to prosper again, many citizens were moving north where land was
fairly cheap. A number of elementary schools, a university, hospitals, churches and other
institutions already had been established in the area, but there was a need for a high
school.
The history of the school actually begins when North Division High
School was established in 1875 as the first north side high school in the city of Chicago.
It was one of three division high schools – the North, South, and West – opened
to supplement Chicago’s first high school, Central High School, which had become
inadequate to meet the needs of Chicago’s growing population. North Division was
first located at 1130 North State (State and Elm) in five rooms of the Sheldon School. In
1884, in order to accommodate the expanding enrollment, the school was moved to larger
quarters at Wells and Wendell Streets. This building later became the Sexton School.
As the new century approached, it became clear more space was needed,
and the erection of a new building at the current location was begun in 1899. In 1900 the
school officially opened and was renamed Robert A. Waller High School. However, for
another two decades, the school continued to be referred to as North Division as well as
by its new name. Its Greek revival style, in keeping with the grand architectural style of
the 1893 Columbian Exposition, made it a striking addition to the community.
Waller High School original building, 1899
Robert A. Waller was born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1850. His father,
James B. Waller moved the family to Chicago (the LakeView area) and became prominent in
real estate, civic work, and social circles. Robert A. attended Chicago public schools and
graduated from Washington and Lee University in Virginia. His work in real estate led to
the development of the Buena Park neighborhood on the north side in the 1880’s.
Later, he ran an insurance business with his brother at 164 LaSalle Street and was very
active in civic affairs. He served as president of the Lincoln Park Board from 1892-1894,
was selected to serve as second vice-president and on the Board of the Columbian
Exposition (in 1890-1893) which included Cyrus McCormick, Joseph Medill and Potter Palmer,
and was appointed City Comptroller in 1897 by Mayor Carter H. Harrison. He died on
February 17, 1899 while still in office.
The first principal of Waller High School was Oliver S. Westcott, who
had been the principal of North Division for 18 years. The students came to the new
building from the old building at all class levels as soon as the building was ready. A
1903 issue of the Yellow and Blue, the school newspaper, lists 82 graduates. Of those
graduates, a high percentage were of German ancestry. The first yearbook was published in
1910 and lists 31 faculty members. There were numerous student organizations including
very active debate and drama groups. Athletic teams enjoyed varying degrees of success but
garnered a good deal of student attention. Musically, the 75-member Glee Club was very
active and a fledgling 13-member Orchestra included the principal playing flute. The 1910
yearbook also reports that 310 freshmen entered that year. Only 101 graduated in 1913.
1910 Orchestra
By 1913 an Alumni Association had been formed and a Parent-Teacher
Association organized. According the PTA annual report, only 10 percent of grammar school
students were entering high school, and one of their chief concerns was getting more
grammar school students to enroll in Waller High School. In anticipation of an increasing
enrollment, a campaign was launched by students and supported by the PTA to get an
addition built to the school since the lack of sufficient space had already become a
problem. By 1917 the enrollment of the school was approximately 870. During World War I,
students were very involved in the Waller Red Cross Unit , both raising money and making
clothing articles for soldiers and refugees. When many boys returned from military
service, the need for more space became critical. In 1919 the ROTC was established at
Waller.
1925 Gym Class in Present-Day Library |
During the 20’s the two-year vocational program with a mid-year
graduation increased in popularity. This program featured a strong commercial (business)
component. Numerous clubs, organizations, and sports activities received strong student
support. The Parents’ Night was a great success as were several Alumni events. An
active Student Council continued the passionate crusade for a bigger building. The student
body had grown so large that four portables (trailer size units) were in use and music
classes were held in the Presbyterian Church across the street. The land just north of the
building had already been condemned and the Board approved the building of an
"annex" in 1928. However, with the Stock Market Crash and ensuing Great
Depression, it would be another 10 years before the addition became a reality.
The hard times of the 30’s affected not only families but also the
school system. Teachers were not paid on a regular basis; equipment and supplies were not
available. The space problem continued however, because more students were attending
school. In addition to the portables, the Franklin Branch (located next to the present
Franklin Fine Arts Academy) was opened in 1934 with a full complement of academic courses
and extra-curricular activities. The branch was to remain in existence until 1948.
Students living between Illinois Street and North Avenue went to the branch for two years
and then were integrated into the student body in the main building.
1938 Dancing in the Library |
In 1935, the first girl’s competitive basketball team was
organized. In spite of the lingering effects of the Depression, a Riding Club (Boots and
Saddle), a Skating Club and a Hiking Club were added to the roster of extra-curricular
activities. Junior-Senior Dancing begun in 1910 was still immensely popular. Every Friday
there was an after-school dance with music provided by a student Orchestra. At long last,
construction began on the long-awaited "Annex", and the work was completed by
the fall of 1938. The portables were finally removed.
1938 Annex
The school community happily settled into the new addition with its
wider corridors, office space, new science rooms, two gyms and a swimming pool. In the
"old" building, the gym was transformed into a two-story lunchroom. The added
space allowed for the addition of an Industrial Arts Department which included Home
Economics. In 1940 the 65th anniversary of Waller-North Division was celebrated with a
gala dinner, a visit from actress Lillian Gish and the establishment of an
alumni-sponsored vocational guidance and job placement program for students and alumni.
1945 Bleacher Spirit |
The entry of the United States into World War II greatly affected the
life of the Waller community. A Roll of Honor in the 1945 Wallerian notes that serving in
some branch of the military were former and current Waller students, numbering 928 boys
and 8 girls. Waller students still in school raised $9000 through the sale of Bonds and
Stamps and held numerous drives for scrap rubber, metal, paper and soap. When the war was
over, the male student population began to increase and the school received a major
face-lift with the painting of the interior of the building.
1953 Homecoming Court |
The 1950’s brought changes in the neighborhood as many middle
class families moved to other areas of the city where housing was more affordable.
Nevertheless, social activities flourished at Waller. The Waller Activity Night Program
(also sometimes called the Waller Social Center) began and continued on into the
60’s. It was open every Friday night to young people of the Lincoln Park community
and included roller skating (in the halls!), dancing, swimming, volleyball, basketball,
table tennis, board games and other activities. It was supervised by faculty members, and
a student committee worked with the administration to run the program. Homecomings were
big events and, until 1966, they were sponsored by the Alumni Association. An elaborate
voting system was in place for the selection of the Queen and her court, and the annual
event received a great deal of publicity. The Homecoming Dances took place in the large
gym.
It was a relatively tranquil time characterized by balance, racially
and academically. The school population in the early 60’s was almost ideally
integrated, and included a rich ethnic, as well as racial, mix. Yearbooks celebrated the
diversity and the harmony that existed. The college preparatory emphasis was strong but so
were the various vocational programs and work-study opportunities. Night classes were
offered.
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1963 Homecoming Court |
1961 North Wing Addition |
The enrollment was at an all-time high, and portables were again in
use. In 1962, the Lincoln Park Conservation Association played an important role in
persuading the Board of Education to make improvements once again. The school population
of 2,350 gained badly needed space with the addition of a north wing that included an
auditorium, lunchroom and music rooms. Further, changes were made in the existing building
that made it possible to move the library into the former assembly hall and to make a
suite of offices for the counseling staff by dividing the former two-storied lunchroom
into two floors.
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By the mid-60’s, Waller High School encountered the struggles for
racial accord that consumed the nation. The increasing shabbiness of the school building,
broken and boarded up windows and graffiti projected a negative image to the community.
The proud claim to a successfully integrated school began to be eroded by actions beyond
the school’s control. Urban renewal clearance displaced scores of families as did
remodeling projects that boosted rent, resulting in a loss of 20% of the student body in a
four year period. Further, Waller’s participation in the permissive-transfer plan
accounted for dramatic changes in the school population. The number of racial incidents
began to escalate. As staff and community worked together to improve the situation, the
1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King brought Waller more deeply into the turmoil
experienced throughout the city and nation.
In the wake of the assassination, militant students saw some of their
demands for curricula and teachers that explored black and Latino culture become
realities. Waller was one of the first four Chicago schools to get an Afro-American
history course. The Community Arts Foundation organized an artists-in-residence program
which brought students in touch with artists such as Second City’s Paul Sills,
novelist John Schultz, jazz-rock composer Bill Russo and choreographer Katherine Dunham,
who started the unusual and exciting Walla Wa Basics dance troupe which explored and
performed African dances.
But problems plagued the school into the 70’s. At one point in
1972, a Waller satellite school at 800 North Clark Street (in the offices of the North
Urban Progress Center) was in business with over 70 students. Although many students were
there for disciplinary reasons, some attended to avoid the difficult environment in the
main building. In 1979, the school population was down to just over 1,000 students.
Community leaders and elementary feeder school parents, including some
from the Cabrini-Green public housing development, continued to work on the problems, and
gradually an optimistic spirit of cooperation began to develop. With the appointment of
Margaret Harrigan as the District Superintendent in 1976, concrete plans for the renewal
and revitalization of the school began in earnest. The vision was to return the school to
one of highest academic quality and opportunity while working to regain an integrated
student body. This was to be achieved through the implementation of federally-funded
"Access to Excellence" magnet programs in languages, in science, and in the fine
arts (1978), and the establishment of an International Baccalaureate Program (1981), a
rigorous academic program in selected schools world-wide.
By 1979 it was time for the new beginning. To dramatize the
transformation that was taking place, the name of the school was again changed, this time
to Lincoln Park High School. Orchard Street in front of the school was closed to traffic
to create a mall from Armitage Street to Oz Park. The Arnold Upper Grade Center became
known as the "west building" as Lincoln Park utilized more and more rooms in
that building. In 1996, the greater part of the west building was converted to a Freshman
Academy.
1986 LPHS Mall |
1997 Freshmen Academy |
In 1984 President Ronald Reagan publicly praised Lincoln Park High
School, as the school produced many Science and History Fair winners, Illinois State
Scholars and National Merit Scholars. A strong PTA raised funds for school programs. The
racial balance began to be restored. By the early 90’s, approximately half the
student body participated in one of the magnet programs while the other half comprised the
general high school. During the decade of the 90’s the school enrollment fluctuated
between 1500 and 2000 students.
As the new century begins, the school is consistently among the
top public high schools in test scores and other measures of academic achievement. About 90% of
graduates pursue some form of higher education, accepted at 160 colleges worldwide. Numerous improvements have been made
in the exterior as well as interior of the building. Community groups support the school.
Lincoln Park High School/Waller stands proud at the corner of Orchard and Armitage.
It has survived and prospered through good times and bad. The school community has entered
the new millennium with the same commitment and imagination that has made this institution
an important part of Lincoln Park for 100 years.
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