Bulley & Andrews

Bulley & Andrews links their work to help our future learn about the past

Chicago, Ill. (January 4, 2010) – Only a few months after their respective grand openings, high school students from the Noble Network of Charter School’s Muchin College Prep campus visited the new Illinois Holocaust Museum & Educational Center in Skokie, Ill.

Sixty freshmen students visited the museum at the invitation of Bulley & Andrews, LLC.  As the general contractor for both Muchin College Prep and the Illinois Holocaust Museum, B&A was pleased to sponsor the event.  It provided an opportunity to bring the two together to further educate the students on the history and universal lessons of the Holocaust.  

“It was a rewarding opportunity to be involved in the construction of these two facilities,” said Tim Puntillo, vice president of Bulley & Andrews.  “Sponsoring the students visit to the museum was the perfect way to impart our appreciation for the organizations’ complementary missions to educate.” 

Muchin College Prep, a campus of the Noble Network of Charter Schools, is the first high school located in Chicago's Loop as well as the first in a high-rise in the Midwest.  The school opened this past August and serves Chicago Public School students from over 40 different neighborhoods across the city.  Located in the former Mandel Brothers Department Store Building, Bulley & Andrews served as general contractor for the 70,000 square foot interior build-out of the school which earned LEED Gold certification.

The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Educational Center opened its doors this past April.  It is the largest facility in the Midwest dedicated to preserving the memories of those lost in the Holocaust and teaching current generations about their role in combating intolerance and genocide in today’s world.  The 65,000 square foot facility, constructed by Bulley & Andrews, will likely be the last Holocaust museum built in collaboration with survivors.

The students were provided with a docent-led tourthrough the Karkomi Permanent Exhibition, the main exhibition of the museum. It is a chronological historical exhibition that tells the story of the Holocaust and includes over 500 artifacts, documents and photographs.   

Following the tour, students had a chance to hear first hand from a survivor of the Holocaust.  Throughout their two hour visit, the students were reminded of past and present genocides and urged in many ways to take action against bullying, hate and violence.

“In their Multicultural Literature class at school, the students were reading The Devil’s Arithmetic, a fictional account of a young girl who travels back in time to the Holocaust.  Through this story, further research and much discussion, the students were learning about the Holocaust at the same time we visited the museum,” said Lauren Flynn, dean of students at Muchin College Prep. 

By law, students in Illinois are required to learn about the Holocaust and other genocides.  As a result, the museum is expecting to host 250,000 students throughout Illinois and the Midwest each year.  The museum offers the opportunity to view original artifacts which can stimulate interest, motivation and learning.  

“Because our students had been reading about the Holocaust prior to our visit, the museum was beneficial at reinforcing in a more tangible way what the students had already learned.  The students felt confident in their knowledge of the Holocaust, and their passion for the subject grew as they were able to see photographs, newspaper clips and video footage from that period in time,” said Flynn.