| Dates: | 1912-2007, undated |
| Size: | 6.75 linear feet in 12 boxes, plus 1 oversized folder |
| Repository: | Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection, 4455 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625 |
| Collection number: | nnhc.lths |
| Immediate source of acquisition: | Donated by James Rodger in 1987 and 1988. After this donation, existing materials on Lane Technical High School were removed from the Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection and combined with the recently received material to create a new collection. Additional material was donated by community members in the following years. |
| Conditions governing use: | Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection |
| Conditions governing access: | Materials are open without restrictions |
| Preferred citation: | When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: Lane Technical High School Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Northside Neighborhood History Collection, Chicago Public Library |
| Finding aid author: | Processed by Becky Haglund, 1988. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Allyson Smally and Julie Lynch, 2022. |
Abstract
In 1934 Lane Technical High School moved from a building at Sedgwick and Division streets to its campus at Addison Street and Western Avenue. This small collection contains files about the school after it moved.
Lane Technical High School is Chicago's largest high school. It opened in 1908 and moved to its current location at the corner of Western and Addison in 1934. The collection contains Alumni Association files; miscellaneous booklets, programs, clippings, and other ephemera; and copies of three publications: the Lane Tech Prep literary magazine, the yearbook which was also called the Lane Tech Prep until 1958 when it was renamed The Arrowhead, and the newspaper the Lane Tech Warrior.
It also contains a number of artifacts, including commemorative mugs, glasses, buttons, and booklets.
Biographical/Historical
Albert Grannis Lane Manual Training School opened in Chicago in September 1908 at the corner of Sedgwick and Division. A year later, its name was changed to Lane Technical High School. The school was named for Albert G. Lane (1841-1906), an educator and longtime advocate for manual training and technical education in schools. Lane's numerous accomplishments included serving, at age seventeen, as the youngest principal in the history of Chicago Public Schools and serving as superintendent of schools of both Chicago and Cook County.
In the 1910s and 1920s, Lane offered courses in carpentry, cabinet making, and wood turning, in addition to offering a machine shop, electric shop, and print shop. It hosted a night school that enrolled 6000 men and women in these areas as well as sewing, garment making, and other classes. In 1929 it established a music program and became the first Chicago school to offer a four-year concentration in music.
In 1930, as a result of the school's growth, ground was broken on a new building at Addison Street and Western Avenue. Construction took longer than normal because of the economic conditions brought on by the Great Depression, but the building was completed and dedicated in 1934. In 1958 Lane moved to a closed admissions policy and stopped offering remedial courses.
In 1971, Lane began to admit girls, marking another significant milestone in the school's history. In 2020, Lane Tech's local school council voted to replace the Native American symbol that had been used as the school's mascot for over a century.
At the beginning of 2022, Lane Tech's website stated that "Lane Tech is a large, coeducational seventh through twelfth grade public high school, offering students a college preparatory curriculum, with particular emphasis placed upon the technological aspects of a modern education." It has an enrollment of over 4200 students, making it Chicago's largest high school.
Scope and contents
This collection contains Alumni Association files; miscellaneous booklets, programs, clippings, and other ephemera; and copies of three publications: the literary magazine, Lane Tech Prep, the school newspaper, The Lane Warrior; and volumes of the school yearbook which was called Lane Tech Prep until 1958 when students held a contest to rename the yearbook. They voted to call the yearbook The Arrowhead. In addition to the name change, the decision was made to publish the yearbook annually instead of biannually.
It also contains a number of artifacts, including commemorative mugs, glasses, buttons, and booklets.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 3 series:
Series 1: General Historical Files, 1912-1988, undated
Series 2: Publications, 1924-2007
Series 3: Memorabilia, 1942-1988, undated
Related materials
Lake View High School Collection
Ravenswood Lake View Community Collection, Schools
Subject headings
- Albert G. Lane Technical High School
- High schools — Illinois — Chicago — Sources
- School yearbooks
- Student newspapers and periodicals
Collection inventory
Series 1: General Historical Files, 1912-1988, undated
Scope and contents
This collection contains Alumni Association files; miscellaneous booklets, programs, clippings, and other ephemera.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and then chronologically.
| Box 1 | Folder 1 | Alumni Association, correspondence and planning materials for reunion | 1971-1972 |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | Alumni Association, correspondence and planning materials for reunion | 1973 |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | Alumni Association, correspondence and planning materials for reunion | 1974 |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | Alumni Association, correspondence and planning materials for reunion | 1975 |
| Box 1 | Folder 5 | Alumni Association, correspondence and planning materials for reunion | 1976 |
| Box 1 | Folder 6 | Alumni Association, reunion ad book, Class of 1932 and associated alumni | 1977 |
| Box 1 | Folder 7 | Alumni Association, correspondence and planning materials for school anniversary celebration | 1982 |
| Box 1 | Folder 8 | Alumni Association, correspondence and planning materials for school anniversary celebration | 1983 |
| Box 1 | Folder 9 | Alumni Association, correspondence and minutes | 1984 |
| Box 1 | Folder 10 | Alumni Association, correspondence and minutes | 1985 |
| Box 1 | Folder 11 | Alumni Association, correspondence | 1986 |
| Box 1 | Folder 12 | Alumni Association, newsletters | 1958-1961, 1963-1976, 1982, 1985-1986; 1988 |
| Box 2 | Folder 2 | Invitation, senior prom | 1982 |
| Box 2 | Folder 3 | News clippings, flyers | 1923-1994 |
| Box 2 | Folder 4 | Programs, commencement | 1912, 1924, 1964, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975-1977, 1984-1985, 1987 |
| Box 2 | Folder 1 | Programs, Diamond Jubilee, program from 1974 graduation, 1st co-ed class, school brochure | 1974, 1983, undated |
| Box 2 | Folder 5 | Programs, student activities | 1913, circa 1970s, 1971, 1986 |
| Box 2 | Folder 6 | Tickets, commencement | 1983-1984 |
Series 2: Publications, 1924-2007
Scope and contents
This series contains issues of the literary magazine, Lane Tech Prep, the school newspaper, The Lane Warrior; and volumes of the school yearbook. In 1958, the students held a contest to rename the yearbook. At this time, the name changed from Lane Tech Prep to The Arrowhead. In addition to the name change, the decision was made to publish the yearbook annually instead of biannually.
Arrangement
Arranged by alphabetically by type of material and then chronologically.
| Box 3 | Folder 1 | Literary magazine, Lane Tech Prep | 1930 |
| Box 3 | Folder 1 | Literary magazine, Lane Tech Prep | 1933 |
| Box 3 | Folder 1 | Literary magazine, Lane Tech Prep | 1951-1952 |
| Box 11 | Folder 1 | Literary magazine, Lane Tech Prep | 1974-1977 |
| Box 4 | Folder 2 | Literary magazine, Lane Tech Prep | 1979 |
| Box 4 | Folder 2 | Literary magazine, Lane Tech Prep | 1980-1981 |
| Oversize Folder 1 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1974 March 15 | |
| Oversize Folder 1 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1975 March 7 | |
| Oversize Folder 1 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1976 March 17 | |
| Oversize Folder 1 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1988 June 17 | |
| Oversize Folder 1 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1988 October 19 | |
| Box 8 | Folder 4 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1982 May 14 |
| Box 8 | Folder 4 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1984 September 25 |
| Box 8 | Folder 4 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1984 October 26 |
| Box 8 | Folder 4 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1984 November 14 |
| Box 8 | Folder 4 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1985 May 23 |
| Box 8 | Folder 4 | Newspaper, The Lane Warrior | 1985 October 25 |
| Box 3 | Folder 3 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1924 June |
| Box 8 | Folder 5 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1947 June |
| Box 3 | Folder 4 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1951 January |
| Box 3 | Folder 4 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1952 January |
| Box 3 | Folder 5 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1952 June |
| Box 3 | Folder 6 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1953 June |
| Box 3 | Folder 6 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1954 January |
| Box 3A | Folder 1 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1955 June |
| Box 3A | Folder 2 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1956 January |
| Box 4 | Folder 1 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1957 January |
| Box 4 | Folder 2 | Yearbook, Lane Tech Prep | 1957 June – 1958 January |
| Box 4 | Folder 3 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1958 |
| Box 4 | Folder 4 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1959 |
| Box 4 | Folder 5 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1961 |
| Box 4 | Folder 6 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1973 |
| Box 5 | Folder 1 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1974 |
| Box 5 | Folder 2 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1975 |
| Box 5 | Folder 3 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1976 |
| Box 6 | Folder 1 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1977 |
| Box 6 | Folder 2 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1978 |
| Box 6 | Folder 3 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1979 |
| Box 7 | Folder 1 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1980 |
| Box 7 | Folder 2 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1981 |
| Box 7 | Folder 3 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1982 |
| Box 8 | Folder 1 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1983 |
| Box 8 | Folder 2 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1987 |
| Box 8 | Folder 3 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 1988 |
| Box 8 | Folder 6 | Yearbook, The Arrowhead | 2007 |
Series 3: Memorabilia, 1942-1988, undated
Scope and contents
This series mainly contains memorabilia junior and senior proms, along with some buttons from school and alumni events.
Arrangement
Arranged by alphabetically by type of material and then chronologically.
| Box 10 | Souvenir balloon, 12th Annual International Days Festival | undated |
| Box 9 | Souvenir arrow head, Senior Prom | 1937 June 9 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir booklets, Senior Prom | 1937 June 9 |
| Box 10 | Souvenir buttons (10) | 1983-1984, undated |
| Box 9 | Souvenir pencil caddy, Lane Tech Class of 1975 | 1975 |
| Box 10 | Souvenir booklets, Junior Prom | 1983, 1986-1987 |
| Box 10 | Souvenir booklets, Senior Prom | 1970, 1972-1973, 1975, 1978, 1981-1984, 1987 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass mug, Class of 1975 | 1975 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass jug, Senior Prom | 1977 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass, Senior Prom | 1981 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass mug, Senior Prom | 1982 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass mug, Senior Prom | 1983 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass, Senior Prom | 1984 May 24 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass mug, Senior Prom | 1984 May 24 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass, Junior Prom | 1987 May 22 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass mug, Senior Prom | 1985 |
| Box 9 | Souvenir glass mug, Senior Prom | 1986 |
| Box 10 | Souvenir glass mug, Prom | 1988 |
| Box 10 | Souvenir glass, Prom | 1988 |
| Box 10 | Souvenir match boxes | 1982 |
| Box 10 | Souvenir medal, Farewell Promenade | 1942 June 17 |
| Box 10 | Souvenir necklaces with ring and flag pendants (3) | undated |
| Box 10 | Souvenir pink dog | undated |
