A car has once again crashed into and damaged a century-old brick wall at the Waukegan School District’s Lincoln Center — as the historic wall was in the process of being replaced.
The incident happened around 4 a.m. Monday on Sheridan Road just south of Glen Flora Avenue in Waukegan.
Waukegan Sixth Ward Alderman Keith Turner said the car crashed into a wall outside of the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Lincoln Center.
The fire department was not dispatched and no injuries were reported.
Turner said it is not the first time a car has crashed into the historic brick wall.
The wall has been the subject of several vehicle crashes in recent years.
In December 2021, a driver suffered severe injuries after his vehicle crashed into the wall, leaving it heavily damaged.
The male driver was driving under the influence and traveling at a high rate of speed, police said. He was also not wearing a seatbelt.
A second crash occurred shortly after involving the same wall.
The Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board in September voted to approve the process of hiring a firm to remove and replace the masonry wall, which is well over a century old.
The school district also entered into an agreement with a local resident who is removing a portion of the wall for free and rebuilding it at his residence.
District officials said repairing the wall would have been complicated due to its age and the large caps that sit on top. It would have also been expensive for the district compared to replacing it.
Turner said crews were in the process of removing the brick wall as part of the planned replacement process when the Monday crash occurred.
Crews will replace the current brick wall with decorative fencing that will feature brick columns.