Maine East High School - Building and Grounds

Building and Grounds

The architecture of the original building was inspired by the architecture of the Powell Library Building at UCLA. The original building was "L" shaped, with a long wing running east–west, parallel to Dempster Street. A shorter wing runs north–south, parallel to Potter Road, with both wings meeting at "the tower" where the main entrance is located. Each of the wings is three stories tall.

The tower is six stories tall, though the higher floors are not in use today because of fire hazard (there is only one narrow staircase granting access to these floors). The fourth floor contains the new heating and air-conditioning systems. The "tower" originally housed the art and music rooms, but since 1960 houses the broadcasting transmitter for WMTH 90.5 FM, the student-operated radio station. Following World War II and up into the late 1960s aviation classes were given with the use of a Link Trainer installed in the tower. The sixth floor also has a balcony on the outside from which there is a distant view, on some days, of the Chicago skyline.

The school has two swimming pools. The newer one is used for physical education classes, and by the interscholastic water polo and swimming & diving teams. The original natatorium, located in the basement, has been shut down due to the need for financially unfeasible repairs, but is kept for its irreplaceable decorative mosaics, which could be damaged with further exposure to water and chemicals.

The school also has a firing range in the basement that was in use when the school opened, as training with firearms was considered essential for young men in the wake of World War I.The firing range was also used for World War II because many people wanted to join the military. Though today used for storage, it is believed to be one of the few non-military academies to still have a usable firing range still on the premises.

On the football / track field there is a memorial for Maine East World War II alumni behind the stadium.

Starting in 1988, the school's ecology club began a cleanup and restoration of a small section of the property which was native savanna. In addition to general cleanup. students began annual buck thorn cutting days. In addition to some endangered species, trees as old as 200 years old were identified.