The former Matthew Henson Elementary School in North Lawndale has sat vacant since it closed in June 2013.
The building’s windows are boarded up with plywood, its paint is chipping away and its basketball hoops are torn and rusted. Demetrius Hobson, Henson’s principal before its closure, said he’s seen broken glass littering the school’s empty playground, the garden unkempt and graffiti dotting the exterior in the 13 years since its closure.