Chicago Christian Schools announced Tuesday it has coordinated an investment effort to acquire the 60-acre campus of Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights.
The purchase would take place through Chicago Christian Educational Opportunity LLC, a newly established group of investors “united by a shared belief that Christian education matters deeply and that it has a strong future in our area,” Superintendent of Chicago Christian Schools Mark Hamstra said in a video message to community members. The company will oversee the acquisition and stewardship of the property.
The announcement comes following months of collaboration between Chicago Christian Schools, CCS Foundation, investors and community stakeholders, the school said via the video and Tuesday’s news release.
Hamstra said the private school group is still evaluating potential plans for the campus and working to identify the parts that will help it further its goals.
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Hamstra said the campus could usher in more vocational training as well as improved arts, science, technology, engineering and math, and athletic facilities.
“We believe so deeply in our vision that every Christian family throughout the Chicago Southland should have access to an excellent Christ-centered education,” Hamstra said. “And we believe this is a milestone moment that creates a generational opportunity to retain decades of kingdom investment on the Trinity property and put it to use for years to come.”
He said Chicago Christian has established a vision that every Christian family in the Chicago Southland have access to an excellent Christ-centered education.
Chicago Christian High School sits adjacent to the Trinity Christian College campus in Palos Heights, while elementary and middle school students are taught at campuses in Oak Lawn and Tinley Park. Similar to at Trinity, students at Chicago Christian Schools are educated in the Reformed Christian tradition.
“We are hopeful for the opportunities this property could create in helping advance that vision,” Hamstra said.
The Trinity Christian College board of trustees voted Nov. 3 to shutter the 66-year-old Christian private college. The school would sell its 6601 W. College Drive buildings and land to fulfill debt obligations, it said in a news release.
The school’s final graduation was held May 8.
The college listed the property and its 22 buildings for sale through commercial real estate firm CBRE, though there was no listing price and Chicago Christian Schools had not stated how much it would pay.
Chicago Christian Schools leaders said the initiative was funded entirely through outside investment partners and an equity investment from the CCS Foundation.
“No Chicago Christian Schools tuition dollars, operational funds, or current capital campaign funds are being used as part of this acquisition,” said Tim Vande Werken, Chicago Christian Education Opportunity Board member in a statement. “This effort has only been possible because of investment partners who share a vision for preserving and expanding Christian educational opportunities in our region.”
Palos Heights Mayor Robert Straz said in April he and other city officials toured the property and he referred multiple people with potential interest in the property to CBRE. He said he could see some campus buildings repurposed for mixed-use or residential, such as dormitory buildings providing housing for seniors.
Straz said Wednesday he would be happy to see the campus sold to Chicago Christian Schools, as the city maintains a great relationship with the private school group.