Among the many Prairie Style masterpieces in the Chicago area, the dramatic Schurz High School is a rare standout. As the Prairie Style is usually found in suburban residences, it is rare to see it applied to large institutional structures. Dwight Perkins--a major proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement--was the chief architect for the Chicago Board of Education and designed a number of public school buildings. This eye-catching orange and brown behemoth features intricate two-tone brickwork and a severely-angled overhanging gabled roof--a nod to the East Asian influences on Prairie Style designs. The school's outstanding interior spaces include an exquisite and soaring domed library with murals created by the architect’s wife Lucy Perkins. A later auditorium addition features an unaltered 1936 Möller organ.
