BUILDING THE ARK

Restoring a School. Building a Future.

After winning a bid with Chicago Public Schools, The ARK Entrepreneurial™ has the opportunity to transform the former Paderewski Elementary School at 2221 S. Lawndale Avenue, a school that has stood closed for years, into a comprehensive campus for early childhood education, entrepreneurship, workforce development, and transitional living.

Rather than building from the ground up, we are restoring three existing floors and adding a new grand atrium and gymnasium. Before construction begins, the building will be fully cleaned, remediated as required, and certified — removing a hazard from the block and returning a public building to public purpose.

Diagram of the building's three floors, showing which programs sit on each

One Building. One Pathway.

Ground Floor — A Place to Begin
Six early childhood classrooms, kitchen, offices, conference room, gymnasium, grand atrium, and welcoming entry spaces.

Second Floor — A Place to Build
Six classrooms, computer lab, resource library, student lounge, offices, and learning spaces where young people develop entrepreneurial, financial, technology, leadership, and workforce skills.

Third Floor — A Place to Transition
Twenty-four single-occupancy transitional living units with shared laundry and lounge spaces for young people working toward stability and independence.

The vision is simple: a young person should be able to enter The ARK as a child and find a pathway that continues into adulthood.

Some young people need a classroom. Some need a career pathway. Some need the opportunity to build a business. And some need a safe place to live while they build their future.

A pathway only works if there is somewhere to stand while you walk it.

Help Us Build The ARK

This capital campaign will support environmental remediation, building rehabilitation, construction, classrooms, technology, the gymnasium and atrium, transitional housing, furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

We aren't simply renovating an old school.

We are turning a building that has been empty for years into a place where Chicago's young people can learn, build, live, and become.

Restore the building. Reclaim the space. Build the pathway. Build The ARK.

A closed school, coming back to life. Help us restore it!

Team Members