Beginning in mid-August, the Northbrook Leisure Center will get a $12.1 million makeover that will convert it from a 1960s school to a full-fledged community center, officials said.
“It feels like a grammar school,” said Chris Leiner, executive director of the Northbrook Park District. “It just doesn’t have the open, inviting feel of a community center.”
The bricks, pipes and wiring were regularly updated at the Leisure Center, formerly Indian Ridge School until it was acquired by the Park District during the 1980s, but the layout and design still resemble an elementary school, Leiner said.
“Most of the finishes are from the ’80s,” he said. “That was a great decade, but it was 40 years ago.”
After the Park District was awarded a $2.8 million state grant for the renovations, officials decided to finish the whole project in one fell swoop, Leiner said.
“Before that, we had started with a more conservative project because we did not know what the funding levels would be,” he said. “The board decided we would not leave a phase two and that we would have one closure and disruption. It took us about two years to get to where we are.”
The work is expected to be completed by spring 2026. During construction, programs that typically occur at the Leisure Center, 3323 Walters Ave., will be moved to other park district facilities and various locations in the community, according to the park district website.
As part of the project, the park district asked residents for feedback on the facility’s name and received more than 500 responses, the website said. The Board of Commissioners was expected to choose between the Northbrook Community Center and the Northbrook Recreation and Art Center, two names presented by staff, at the June 25 board meeting.
According to officials, the exterior renovations will include:
- a new entrance
- building facade and window improvements
- an updated Early Childhood entrance
- landscaping improvements
- updated traffic flow and signage
Leiner said the current main entrance was designed for school bus drop-offs and does not include adjacent parking.
“Most users come in through a side door,” he said. “It’s human nature to walk to the door closest to the parking lot. We need an entryway that is a clear main entrance.”
The current front roadway allows for dropoffs but requires drivers to return to Walters and reenter the parking lot to find a spot, Leiner said.
“The marquee is from the ’80s,” he said. “From the appearance, it does not appear to be a community center. It appears to be a school.”
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The interior renovations include:
- enhanced lobby and reception area
- renovations to the Little Theatre, demonstration kitchen and restrooms
- expanded hallways and seating
- updates to the multi-purpose rooms, studios, gym, art rooms and lower level dressing rooms
The lobby will be moved to the building’s west side, where the main entrance will be established near the side door and additional seating will be provided, Leiner said.
“We noticed that a lot of parents were sitting on the floor when they dropped off younger participants,” he said. “We did not have an effective lobby because generally schools do not have lobbies, especially grammar schools.”