Fire Consumes Former Chicago School Building

The building near North Sheffield Avenue and North Poe Street Street, was once home to James Mulligan Public School

Chicago firefighters at about 5 a.m. Tuesday were watching for flare-ups after tamping down a massive fire at a 124-year-old shuttered school on the city's North Side.

The fire started at about 2 a.m. at the former James Mulligan Public School Building, at 1855-1863 N. Sheffield Ave., in the city's Lincoln Park neighborhood.

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The building was vacant and was going to be converted to apartments. It opened for students in September 1890 and was being considered for historic landmark status in February, according to a city document. It was closed in the early 2000s and remained vacant until the Board of Education sold it to a private developer, the document said.

As of 6:45 a.m., service on the Chicago Transit Authority's Brown Line was not running between Fullerton and Merchandise Mart because the building is near the tracks. Purple Line service was suspended between Howard and the Loop.

The transit agency said at 9 a.m. that Brown Line trains were operating via the subway between Fullerton and Roosevelt.

Shuttle buses were also put in place to assist commuters. Transit information was posted to TransitChicago.com.

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Andrew Herman

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