The dilapidated former Cook County Hospital building, a 163-year-old safe haven where once anyone could receive care, has been dramatically transformed as part of a three-year, eight-story, 350,000 square foot $150 million economic development project to serve the 50,000+ daily visitors in the Illinois Medical District. As one of the most robust districts of its kind in the world, the medical/university district encompasses 560 acres of medical and research facilities/labs across the nearby University of Illinois Hospital, Rush University Medical Center, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital and Mixed-Use Campus, and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.
The nearly complete project is led by Murphy Development and SOM in a design-build collaboration with Walsh Construction, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., and KOO. It features the meticulous renovation and historic preservation of the building’s stunning Beaux-Arts architectural details- including replacing 4,160 pieces of its crumbling terra cotta facade and bringing its marble staircase and terrazzo flooring back to life- and the addition of two Hyatt Hotels to boost the district and increase Chicago’s capacity to host visitors to other nearby attractions.
The Hyatt Place and Hyatt House Chicago Medical/University District are expected to open in July 2020 and breathe new life into the area with community amenities. The multiphase project also includes a 10,000 square foot dining destination led by Hospitality HQ and award-winning chef Akhtar Nawab along with medical offices, a daycare center, retail space, and a museum honoring Cook County Hospital’s important legacy. To further preserve its legacy and history, two teaching theaters that once drew the greatest minds in medicine when the hospital opened in 1857 will eventually be restored and made available to the public for educational tours.
Hyatt Place Chicago Medical/University District will offer 103 spacious guestrooms featuring distinct zones for sleep, work and play and free-flowing social spaces that offer seamless transitions from work to relaxation as well as a fitness center and 4,000+ square feet of flexible, high-tech meeting/event space shared with the other hotel.
Hyatt House Chicago Medical/University District will offer 107 modern apartment-style suites with full kitchens and separate living/sleeping areas designed for extended stay residents seeking the conveniences of home. Other amenities include a lobby lounge with an open and welcoming space for guests to gather, an outdoor area with a fire pit and BBQ grill, a 24-hour workout room, and shared meeting/event space.
Both hotels will offer free Wi-Fi and are equipped with advanced high-tech infrastructure for smart buildings to ensure reliable connectivity and meet high-volume, high-traffic user demands.
Level-1 Global Solutions partnered with Murphy Development, SOM, and KOO to design and implement a low voltage telecommunications infrastructure and smart building technology solutions for both hotels, including integrated communications (i.e. voice, data, video, audio/visual), security, and building automation systems.
Level-1 provides technology solutions that support mission-critical functions and partners with local design and architecture firms on prime and subcontracts to complete large-scale development projects that make use of innovative technologies to fuel economic growth. As Chicago’s leading technology systems integrator and designer, Level-1 is proud to help State and local government investments succeed at improving lives and fostering healthy, sustainable communities for the future.
Level-1 has been Cook County’s trusted IT provider since the construction of Stroger Hospital near the former hospital site in 2001. The long-standing relationship began when Level-1 was tasked with correcting the incomplete work of a minority contractor that went out of business right after 9/11. Level-1’s technology solution for the new hospital included the design of a full network and data center connected to the health system’s existing healthcare facilities. Built to last, the original data center still serves all data communications across Stroger’s campus and the entire health system today. Supported by Level-1’s high-quality infrastructure, Stroger Hospital maintains a strong commitment to the healthcare needs of Cook County’s underserved population, while also remaining at the forefront of new therapies and innovations in healthcare and offering a full range of specialized medical services for all segments of the community.
To support their industry-leading research mission, Cook County Health again entrusted Level-1 to provide mission-critical IT services during the 2007 redevelopment of prime real estate within the Stroger Campus as a mixed-use retail, residential, office, medical services, research, education, health and wellness, entertainment and community center. Backed by Level-1’s IT infrastructure, the Stroger Campus now thrives within the Illinois Medical District.
The bold renovation of the Cook County Hospital building to house Hyatt Place and Hyatt House Chicago Medical/University will further enhance this vibrant urban neighborhood and resurrect this iconic landmark as a vital part of the greater Chicago community for its next 100 years.
