A gift from a Hill Elementary School alumnus will allow the relocation of 1930s-era murals from the current school to its new building in West Aurora School District 129, officials said.
Ken Donart, an Oswego resident who entered kindergarten at Hill in 1955 and later served as a substitute teacher at the school, gave $44,000, which will pay for removing, restoring and moving four tile murals, created by the Works Progress Administration, officials said at a Monday, March 6, meeting. Some other features of the old building also will be moved.
“It’s bringing some of that past into the (new) building,” said Angie Smith, assistant superintendent of operations.
Hill Elementary’s more-than-century-old building is expected to be torn down over the summer, and a new school next door is set to be finished for the 2017-18 year. The work is part of more than $84 million in construction approved in a 2015 referendum.
The donation was presented on the same night West Aurora school board members reviewed demolition bids.
A Peoria-based company will remove the tiles, some depicting animals in alcoves above water fountains. They will be cleaned, reglazed and installed in the new building’s library media center along with plaques explaining the murals’ history.
Wooden casework in the current building also will be saved, as will some doors, shelving and other features that can be cleanly removed, Smith said. Yellow tiles can’t be moved because they contain lead, board member Aimie Thompson said.
Many students have passed through the doors of the school and Donart sought a chance to bring some of that history into the new building, spokesman Tony Martinez said.
He was a teacher and staff member for 35 years in Community Unit School District 308, based in Oswego. He also served on the preservation commissions in Oswego, Kendall County and Aurora, according to the district.
West Aurora officials said in a statement that he, at first, didn’t agree with the plan to tear down Hill Elementary, but changed his mind after he toured it and saw the inside.
“I wanted to save some of the past and move it into the future,” Donart said in a statement. “I loved those tile reliefs. This was just an effort to preserve some of the past.”
Hill Principal Mike Smith thanked Donart for the donation, which he said would not only preserve the murals, but also memories associated with the old Hill building.
The board’s student member said the contribution was “incredible” and meant a lot in part because it showed Donart cared about the district.
“I hope the students and staff will enjoy the murals for many years to come,” Donart said.
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