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Hospitals
Aurora and Chicago
Historic hospitals often can pose a difficult reuse problem.
These three Chicago-area hospitals
are either vacant or soon-to-be vacant.
Community Hospital / Doctors Hospital, 5800 S. Stony Island, Chicago
This 1914 structure was one of four designed in the U.S. by Schmidt, Garden
& Martin for employees of the Illinois Central Railroad. |
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The hospital is in bankruptcy and its owner, Cook County, intends to sell
the property to pay off creditors. It is unclear what the alderman will
support in the way of redevelopment or new construction on the property. The
property is scheduled to be auctioned for sale on September 22nd.
Copley Hospital, 301 Weston Ave., Aurora
The most significant portion of this hospital was designed in 1916 by
Schmidt, Garden & Erikson. This neighborhood landmark features limestone
trim, classical detailing, and an intact first-floor doctor’s study with
wood paneling and fixtures. The hospital was vacated in the 1990s and has no
local landmark protection.
Prentice Womens' Hospital,
333 E. Superior St., Chicago
This unique structure was designed by Bertrand Goldberg in 1974-75. A
replacement building is now under construction and scheduled for occupancy
in 2007. The Goldberg structure then is scheduled to be given to
Northwestern University, whose master plan calls for a new facility on the
site. Other nearby hospital structures, including the Wesley and Passavant
pavilions, already have been demolished.
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 What Can I Do? Please contact the local officials in these three
communities, urging that these structures be saved, protected as local
landmarks, and reused.
The alderman for the Community Hospital in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood
is Leslie Hairston (5th Ward), 1900 E. 71st St., Chicago, IL 60649; phone
773-324-5555.
The alderman for Prentice Hospital in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood
is Burton Natarus (42nd Ward), City Hall, Room 306, 121 N. LaSalle St.,
Chicago, IL 60602; e-mail: ward42@ci.chi.il.us.
The agency to contact for Copley Hospital is the Aurora Preservation
Commission, 44 E. Downer Pl., Aurora, IL 60507;
jmangers@aurora-il.org.
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