The Avery Coonley School is an independent, coed day school serving 378 academically bright and gifted students in preschool through eighth grade. Founded by Queene Ferry Coonley in 1906, the Downers Grove campus opened in 1929 after she purchased nearly 11 acres of land next the Maple Grove Forest Preserve.
“The building, which combines prairie school and industrial architectural elements and arts and crafts design, has been an important part of the Downers Grove landscape for almost 90 years,” said Chris Portman, Avery Coonley School’s director of communications and marketing and author of “A Simple Wish,” which details the school’s history. “The school itself has met the unique needs of gifted students from all over the Chicago area since the late 1960s.”
Construction of the U-shaped, red brick building, which includes a reflection pool at the center of the courtyard, took nearly a year to complete. The building was designed by Coonley’s son-in-law, Waldron Faulkner. Renowned ceramist Henry Chapman Mercer designed the tiles that are present throughout the building, and the grounds were designed by respected landscape architect Jens Jensen.
While there have been several major additions to the school, like a fine arts wing, gymnasium and performing arts center, Portman said they are currently in the process of restoring more than 125 windows in the original building, making cosmetic and technology upgrades and infrastructure improvements to many of the original classrooms.
The school was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
Jane Donahue is a freelance writer.
The Avery Coonley School
Building size: 10.45-acre campus; 85,000 square feet of buildings
What’s in a name? The school was founded by Queene Ferry Coonley and she named it after her husband, Avery Coonley, who died in 1920 at age 49.
Building age: The school opened on Sept. 30, 1929. There have been three additions since then, in 1979, 1993, and 2006.
Original use: Following the progressive education model of John Dewey, it was founded as a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade school.
Current use: School for academically gifted children in preschool through eighth grade.
Did you know? The school was featured in a 1938 book titled “Finding Wisdom” and was nationally known as a model of modern, progressive education. The school mascot is the sea horse and the barn on campus was constructed by students in the 1930s. For the first 20 years of the school, it housed chickens and sheep, which the students cared for.
