{"nrhp_refnum":"82002527","name":"Bloom Township High School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"10th St., Dixie Hwy. and Chicago Heights St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago Heights","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.51506989000006,"lon":-87.64372270813463,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Bloom Township High School is a four-story gray brick and terra cotta public high school building at 10th Street and Dixie Highway in Chicago Heights, Cook County, Illinois. The original building was constructed in 1931-1934 and designed by Royer, Danely, & Smith of Urbana.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the school is an outstanding and the only large-scale example of art deco (zig-zag modern) architecture in the south suburban Chicago area. It also holds six fresco murals by Edgar Britton, associated with the 1930s WPA mural program, and Bedford stone sculptures by Felix Schlag and Curt Drewes. Later additions from 1956 and 1976 were designed to accent rather than detract from the original design.","narrative":"Bloom Township High School in Chicago Heights is a four-story public school built between 1931 and 1934 of gray brick with terra cotta trim. Designed by the Urbana firm Royer, Danely, & Smith, it is a showpiece of art deco, or zig-zag modern, design, with fluted entrances, chevron and zig-zag motifs, copper ornament, and decorative grillwork. Two five-ton Bedford stone sculptures flank the main entrance; one was carved by Felix Schlag, who designed the Jefferson Nickel, and the other by Curt Drewes. Inside the entrance foyer, Edgar Britton painted six fresco murals showing students studying and adults practicing the life work that study leads to. Additions in 1956 and 1976 brought gymnasiums, a pool, an auditorium, a library wing and classrooms, and were planned to echo the original building. The school was recognized as the only large-scale art deco example in the south suburban Chicago area and for its 1930s sculpture and mural work.","period_of_significance":"1931-1934","architect_builder":"Royer, Danely, & Smith-Urbana; Ill.","architectural_style":"Art Deco (zig-zag modern)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a public high school, in good condition, with additions made in 1956 and 1976.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.642375-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/22/8922/28892222/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/82002527.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002527/51fe726c87-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002527/51fe726c87-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Zol87 from Chicago, Illinois, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bloom_High_School_Zol87_front_right_4980746453.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Zol87 from Chicago, Illinois, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bloom_High_School_Zol87_front_right_4980746453.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892222","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom_High_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4928160"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/bloom-township-high-school-82002527/"}