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County Seeks Ideas for Old Cook County Hospital Redevelopment

By Stephanie Lulay | September 16, 2014 5:40am | Updated on September 17, 2014 8:43am
 The old Cook County Hospital, 1835 W. Harrison St., closed in 2002.
The old Cook County Hospital, 1835 W. Harrison St., closed in 2002.
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Jeff Dahl

MEDICAL DISTRICT — An economic development group wants help determining what the old Cook County Hospital building will house next.

The Cook County Bureau of Economic Development will host a workshop to gather ideas and feedback for the potential mixed-use redevelopment of the old hospital building from 5-8 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Hektoen Building Auditorium, 627 S. Wood St. The event is co-sponsored by the Chicago Architecture Foundation.

The workshop will feature a presentation from Cook County leadership on the redevelopment process, insights from civic organizations and public comments. Registration is suggested, but not required.

After the workshop, invited organizations and other interested parties will create development briefs suggesting possible uses and design concepts for the site, according to Cook County offices.

The ideas will be presented at a second event at the Chicago Architecture Foundation from 5-8 p.m. Oct. 7 at the organization’s lecture hall, 224 S. Michigan Ave. Leaders from the Metropolitan Council, Landmarks Illinois and Chicago Central Area Committee will offer development concepts. Planning Space is limited and registration is required.

The goal of the two events is to unlock the “inherent value” of the historic building, said Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle.

“Previous redevelopment efforts focused solely on the building itself. With this effort, we’re asking civic groups, members of the public, and eventually developers, to think not only about the Hospital building itself, but also the spaces surrounding it,” she said.

The former hospital, 1835 W. Harrison St., was replaced by Stroger Hospital of Cook County in 2002. Built in 1914, the remaining former hospital structure was previously used as the administrative wing and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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