National-Louis University officials and alumni say there is a sentimental attachment to the old Evanston-Wilmette campus, which served as its North Shore base since the 1920s.

The school started as a venture in 1886 by Elizabeth Harrison, who was convinced that early childhood education deserved more attention than educators of the day gave it.

Provost Kathryn Tooredman said the school and graduates have spearheaded many innovative programs including Head Start and many initiatives in the Chicago Public Schools system.

"What it means is that we're not place-bound," Tooredman said.

Bill Roberts, vice president of operational services, said the move will bring many of the hundreds of pieces of artwork and artifacts from past decades out of storage and obscure spaces and into new display areas at Skokie and other locations.

Because of weight considerations, much of the Evanston collection of books and journals will be relocated to Wheeling, and the university is working on how to accommodate its Pace program, which helps students with multiple learning disabilities transition into jobs and independent living.

As part of that program, students live on campus, but the Skokie campus does not include residence halls. The school now has 49 students in the Pace program and another eight who live on-campus at Evanston.

A graduate from the 1970s, Brenda Martin Linton, said she will miss the surroundings of the old campus, but she understands the need for the move.

"There's so many happy memories here. The positive thing is they're progressing and moving forward," Linton said. "It was fine for us when we were here, but there's no way for this campus to have all the technology they do now."

In Wilmette, the village is reviewing proposals to convert much of the old campus into a single-family home development. The Baker Demonstration School, which was founded as a training facility for the university, has become an independent entity and has an agreement to purchase the entire campus.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed, but the deal is set to close June 30, and a Northbrook-based developer, Red Seal Homes, has submitted plans to build 11 homes on the Wilmette portion of the property.

Two of the homes will front on Sheridan Road, seven would sit along Maple Avenue, and two would be located on a new cul-de-sac off of Girard Avenue, said Lisa Roberts, deputy director of community development in Wilmette.

The village's Zoning Board of Appeals is set to hear a request for a variation from front-yard setback requirements at a Feb. 1 hearing.

If that is approved, the Plan Commission will consider plans to subdivide the property, and Baker School would need a special use to operate a school in the R-1 District.

-- Ken Goze

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