In the summer of 1916, construction began on a new high school building at the corner of Brainerd and Park Avenues in Libertyville.  It was the first structure of the newly established Libertyville Township High School District.  The "Brainerd Building" as it came to be known, opened the following fall in 1917.  It welcomed 138 students from Libertyville and surrounding communities, some as far away as Fox Lake.  There were 7 teachers for the 8 classrooms.
Prior to the opening of Brainerd, Libertyville's high school program was housed in the second story of the old Central School on School Street.  The freshman class in 1917, the first students to start their high school years at Brainerd, graduated 39 seniors in 1921.  With the student population roaring in the 1920s, a gymnasium and additional classrooms were constructed along Jackson Street.  As it opened for district and community use in 1929, the high school's Jackson Gym was one of the premier athletic venues in Lake County.
In 1954, with the opening of a new high school building on the shores of Butler Lake, Brainerd became a freshman only building.  It continued to be a starting point for district students until 1999 when a new high school building opened in Vernon Hills.  The brief exception was the 1961 and 1962 school years when student use was interrupted following the opening of Mundelein High School.  At that time, the concept of converting Brainerd to a community center gained some traction but did not move ahead.  Student population growth quickly returned the Brainerd classrooms to daily use.
With all district freshmen attending the new high school in Vernon Hills for the 1999/00 school year, classroom use at Brainerd was discontinued.  The gym and field continued to be used as supplemental sites for LHS athletics.  In 1999, Hollywood came to Brainerd as the set for the John Hughes' production of New Port South.  Starting in 2000, the classroom space was leased for the use of the Village of Libertyville's Parks and Recreation Department.  In 2003, all active use was discontinued and Brainerd became a storage facility.
As Brainerd became less needed by LHS, an idea dating back 40 years once again was embraced by Libertyville's Village fathers: convert Brainerd to a community center.  In 2006, District 128 and the Village agreed to a 50-year lease.  The Brainerd Community Center, Inc. was established to preserve and restore Brainerd "as a gathering place for all, a place for enrichment".
Throughout its 82-year run, the building served as an important institution educating thousands.  Notable students include: Two-time Academy Award winner Marlon Brando (left); MLB player Brett Butler; WGN-TV Anchor Mark Suppelsa; and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and the Nightwatchman.