DUNNING — Work has begun on a $70.5 million facility near Oak Park Avenue and Irving Park Road in Dunning that will house 200 veterans who suffer from Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.
The facility — the fifth of its kind in Illinois and the first in Chicago — will be located on the grounds of the former Chicago-Read Mental Health Center and adjacent to the Dunning-Read Conservation Area, a 23-acre oasis of wetlands and woodlands being restored to its natural state.
Heather Cherone says the facility was paid for mostly by federal funds:
The 7.8-acre project promises to reshape the far Northwest corner of the city, which has been vacant since the mental health facility was torn down decades ago, said Ald. Tim Cullerton (38th). Construction is scheduled to be complete in 2016.
The five-story facility at 4250 N. Oak Park Ave. will feature single rooms with private bathrooms as well as common dining and recreation areas for its residents, officials said.
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