Austin Community Academy High School
Encyclopedia
Austin Community Academy High School was a public high school located at 231 N Pine Avenue in the Austin community
on the west side of Chicago, Illinois. The school opened in 1890, and was named after Henry W. Austin, a local real estate developer The online newsletter Chicago-Catalyst.org called it the yellow brick fortress. The campus is now home to three smaller schools.
The main entrance was located on the west side at 231 N Pine Ave, which bounds the western edge of the school property. The school was bounded on the north by W Fulton St where one parking lot is located. N Long Ave bounds the eastern side of the school property and is adjacent to the athletic fields and has an entrance to the south parking lot. The school is bounded to the south by W. West End Ave. N Lotus Avenue is interrupted by the school grounds which span 2 city blocks. The school building is located on the western block of the school property, while the athletic fields and south parking lot occupy the eastern block. If N Lotus Ave were a through street, it would bisect the school property with the school building on the west and athletic fields on the east side. The school building itself is a four story yellow brick building featuring two central courtyards. These open air courtyards flank a central corridor which runs north and south inside the larger outer building which covers approximately one city block.
During the mid-twentieth century, Austin High was considered one of the best high schools in the Chicago area. In later years, however, Austin suffered from low test scores, low attendance, and student violence. The Chicago Public Schools
began phasing it out in 2004, ordering the school to stop admitting new freshman. The last graduations were held in June 2007 and the phase-out was completed by the end of summer, 2007. Many of the old school records from 1890 to 1970 are now preserved at the Chicago Public Library in the Special Collections for Community History.
As part of the Renaissance 2010
program, the school's campus was then converted into three smaller high schools: Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy, which opened in 2006; Austin Polytechnical Academy, which opened in 2007, and VOISE Academy, which opened in 2008. (VOISE stands for "Virtual Opportunities Inside a School Environment"; the school combines an online curriculum with classroom instruction.)
Austin Polytechnical Academy and Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy share an athletic program, and their teams are nicknamed the Tigers.
team played Leo Catholic High School
in the Chicago Prep Bowl at Soldier Field
. Austin was led by star running back
Bill DeCorrevont
, one of the best known high school athletes of his day. The attendance was estimated to be as high as 130,000—possibly the largest crowd to ever attend an American football game. (Sources vary on the exact figure, however; the Illinois High School Association
provides an estimate of 110,000 attendees.) Austin won 26-0.
Austin, Chicago
Austin, located on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, is the largest of the city's 77 officially defined community areas, followed by Lake View. Its eastern boundary is the Belt Railway located just east of Cicero Avenue. Its northernmost border is the Milwaukee District/West Line...
on the west side of Chicago, Illinois. The school opened in 1890, and was named after Henry W. Austin, a local real estate developer The online newsletter Chicago-Catalyst.org called it the yellow brick fortress. The campus is now home to three smaller schools.
The main entrance was located on the west side at 231 N Pine Ave, which bounds the western edge of the school property. The school was bounded on the north by W Fulton St where one parking lot is located. N Long Ave bounds the eastern side of the school property and is adjacent to the athletic fields and has an entrance to the south parking lot. The school is bounded to the south by W. West End Ave. N Lotus Avenue is interrupted by the school grounds which span 2 city blocks. The school building is located on the western block of the school property, while the athletic fields and south parking lot occupy the eastern block. If N Lotus Ave were a through street, it would bisect the school property with the school building on the west and athletic fields on the east side. The school building itself is a four story yellow brick building featuring two central courtyards. These open air courtyards flank a central corridor which runs north and south inside the larger outer building which covers approximately one city block.
During the mid-twentieth century, Austin High was considered one of the best high schools in the Chicago area. In later years, however, Austin suffered from low test scores, low attendance, and student violence. The Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
began phasing it out in 2004, ordering the school to stop admitting new freshman. The last graduations were held in June 2007 and the phase-out was completed by the end of summer, 2007. Many of the old school records from 1890 to 1970 are now preserved at the Chicago Public Library in the Special Collections for Community History.
As part of the Renaissance 2010
Renaissance 2010
Renaissance 2010 was a program of the Chicago Public Schools school district of Chicago, Illinois, United States.In 1997, the Illinois General Assembly approved 60 charter schools for the state...
program, the school's campus was then converted into three smaller high schools: Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy, which opened in 2006; Austin Polytechnical Academy, which opened in 2007, and VOISE Academy, which opened in 2008. (VOISE stands for "Virtual Opportunities Inside a School Environment"; the school combines an online curriculum with classroom instruction.)
Austin Polytechnical Academy and Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy share an athletic program, and their teams are nicknamed the Tigers.
Athletics
In 1937, Austin High School's footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team played Leo Catholic High School
Leo Catholic High School
Leo Catholic High School is an all-male Catholic high school in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and home to a predominantly African–American student body...
in the Chicago Prep Bowl at Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
. Austin was led by star running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Bill DeCorrevont
Bill DeCorrevont
William John DeCorrevont was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Chicago Cardinals, and the Chicago Bears. He also played quarterback for the Detroit Lions...
, one of the best known high school athletes of his day. The attendance was estimated to be as high as 130,000—possibly the largest crowd to ever attend an American football game. (Sources vary on the exact figure, however; the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
provides an estimate of 110,000 attendees.) Austin won 26-0.
Notable alumni
- Alf BaumanAlf BaumanAlfred Ernest "Alf" Bauman was an American football player. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Northwestern University where he played for the Wildcats from 1939-1941...
, NFL player - Roy BrownRoy Brown (clown)Roy Thomas Brown was an American television personality, puppeteer, clown and artist best known for playing "Cooky the Cook" on Chicago's long running Bozo's Circus.-Early years:...
, puppeteer and performer-"Cooky the Clown" of Bozo's CircusThe Bozo ShowThe Bozo Show is a locally-produced children's television program that aired on WGN-TV in Chicago and nationally on what is now WGN America. Recognized as the most popular and successful locally-produced children's program in the history of television, it only aired under this title for 14 of its... - Bill DeCorrevontBill DeCorrevontWilliam John DeCorrevont was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Chicago Cardinals, and the Chicago Bears. He also played quarterback for the Detroit Lions...
, NFL player - Bud FreemanBud FreemanLawrence "Bud" Freeman was a U.S. jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing the tenor saxophone, but also able at the clarinet. He had a smooth and full tenor sax style with a heavy robust swing. He was one of the most influential and important jazz tenor saxophonists of...
, jazz musician, member of Austin High Gang - Jim LaniganJim LaniganJim Lanigan was an American jazz bassist and tubist.Lanigan learned piano and violin as a child, and played piano and drums in the Austin High School Blue Friars before specializing on bass and tuba...
, jazz musician, member of Austin High Gang - Dick McPartland, jazz musician, member of Austin High Gang
- Jimmy McPartlandJimmy McPartlandJames Dugald McPartland , better known as Jimmy McPartland, was an American cornetist and one of the originators of Chicago Jazz...
, jazz musician, member of Austin High Gang - Dave North, jazz musician, member of Austin High Gang
- Pete PihosPete PihosPeter Louis Pihos was a professional American football player in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a high school junior when his mother moved the family to Chicago. His father was a murder victim, and when a suspect was acquitted, Pete decided to become a lawyer...
, NFL player - Robert Townsend, actor
- Frank TeschemacherFrank TeschemacherFrank Teschemacher was an American jazz clarinetist and alto-saxophonist, associated with the "Austin High" gang...
, jazz musician, member of Austin High Gang - Abe WoodsonAbe WoodsonAbraham Benjamin Woodson is a former American football cornerback and kick returner who played nine seasons in the National Football League, mainly with the San Francisco 49ers. He also spent two years with the St. Louis Cardinals. As a kick returner, there were few who were better...
, NFL player
External links
- Austin High School Reunion page This one seems targeted towards classes around the 1940's and 1950's
- Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy
- Austin Polytechnical Academy
- VOISE Academy
- www.Catalyst-Chicago.org has searchable index with articles on Austin Community Academy HS
- Chicago Public Library Special Collections AHSC contain Austin HS records 1879 - 1979 (AUHS)
- CPS.edu is Chicago Public Schools with a search for Austin High School articles Phased-out 2004 to end of summer 2007