Caryl Lemanski, whose parents raised her in the dorm while serving as school employees, said even as a child, Welles would entertain others by telling stories at the Todd School for Boys, the Chicago Tribune said Friday.

"As a young fellow, Orson Welles would sit in the living room of Grace Hall and enthrall other students with his impromptu storytelling," Lemanski told the Tribune.

Yet after more than a decade of business, the school closed in 1954 and its owners are planning on demolishing the school dorm to make way for a living facility for seniors.

Lemanski told the Tribune she and other longtime residents are trying to have the Illinois site deemed a historical landmark.

"Todd School is a symbol of the past and the famous people who grew up here and got an education and became outstanding contributors to society," she said.