Preckwinkle wants $126 million rehab of old Cook Co. Hospital
BY LISA DONOVAN Cook County Reporter ldonovan@suntimes.com April 20, 2011 3:52PM
Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM
Less than a decade ago, then Cook County Board President John Stroger wanted to send in the wrecking ball to take down the hulking historic Cook County Hospital on the West Side.
On Wednesday, current Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced a multi-year, $683 million capital improvement plan that includes a $126 million redevelopment and rehab of the hospital. The building at 1835 W. Harrison has stood vacant since the 2002 opening of the nearby Stroger Hospital.
The plan is to turn at least a portion of the century-old facility into offices for Cook County Health and Hospitals System administrators.
“I made a commitment early on that we were going to save the building, and we’re working on how we can do that” in a way that’s “most cost efficient,” Preckwinkle told reporters.
“It’s a beautiful old building but we have considerable ongoing expenses — we have to keep the place heated in the winter so the pipes don’t burst,” Preckwinkle said. “So our maintenance costs over time have been fairly significant as the building has remained empty.”
Details on the annual pricetag for simply maintaining the building were not available. And the start and project finish dates also weren’t immediately available.
While the late board president Stroger wanted to get rid of it, his son and successor Todd Stroger was open to keeping some of the buildings and tearing down others. The majority of county commissioners, who have the final vote, already supported saving the building and backed a plan to move county hospital administrators from the converted nurses dormitory at 1900 W. Polk, slated for demolition, to the rehabbed county hospital.
The hospital and its famous beaux-arts façade was built in 1914. Preservation Chicago put it on its “most endangered” list in 2003 and 2004 and was among the groups that helped block the wrecking ball during the political battles over the fate of the facility.
Preckwinkle’s capital plan comes after a December 13 order to halt all non-essential capital projects until the board president’s staff could analyze the projects and costs. About half of the money for the projects will come from about $300 million in proceeds from bonds issued in 2009 and 2010 for projects.
The overall capital plan, which ultimately must be approved by a vote of county commissioners, also includes:
† A new $92 million diagnostic and residential treatment unit for prisoners at the Cook County Jail.
† A $50.2 million expansion of the garage at the current Stroger Hospital to add 1,760 spaces. The current garage has 1,340 spaces.
† A $10 million upgrade of the elevators at the Daley Center courthouse complex.
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