CHICAGO—Bennett Day School, a two-year old toeighth grade progressive school in the West Loop, has just signed along-term lease for its flagship campus at 955 W. Grand Avenue. Asreported in GlobeSt.com, the first campus at 657 W. Fulton St. will start inauguralclasses on August 25. And local real estate developershave said the school is a good sign that the former industrialarea, now filling up with giant developments likeK2 and Echelon at K Station, hasbecome a true neighborhood that will now attract even moreresidents.

“A school coming in is a really great thing,” SteveFifield, president and chief executive officer ofFifield Cos., told GlobeSt.com. When Fifieldstarted developing the K Station apartment buildings in the WestLoop about ten years ago, “we felt that the neighborhood hadn'tcompletely gelled yet.”

The new campus will return the historic location on Grand backto one of its original uses as a progressive school. The building,formerly known as Chicago Commons and designed byPond and Pond, was built in 1900 as a settlementhouse modeled after Jane Addams' Hull House. Theexisting campus is enrolling two- through five-year olds and thenew space will expand classes up to the eighth grade.