Old Prentice Women's Hospital Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prentice Women's Hospital and Maternity Center |
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| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Hospital |
| Location | 333 E. Superior St. Chicago, Illinois United States |
| Coordinates | 41°53′44″N 87°37′08″W / 41.89542°N 87.61887°W |
| Construction started | 1972 |
| Completed | 1975 |
| Opened | December 10, 1975 |
| Inaugurated | January 22, 1976 |
| Demolished | 2013–2014 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 14 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Bertrand Goldberg & Associates |
| Structural engineer | Bertrand Goldberg & Associates |
| Main contractor | Paschen Contractors, Inc., Gust K. Newberg Construction Co. |
The Prentice Women's Hospital and Maternity Center was an old hospital building in Chicago, Illinois. It was part of Northwestern University's Northwestern Memorial Hospital. This hospital was known for its very unique and interesting design.
The original Prentice Women's Hospital building was later replaced by a new hospital. The new building is located nearby, next to Lurie Children's Hospital. The old building was taken down between 2013 and 2014.
Building Design
The old Prentice Hospital had a very special design by architect Bertrand Goldberg. It was built in a style called Brutalism, which uses a lot of raw concrete and strong shapes.
The hospital had a 9-story concrete tower that looked like a four-leaf clover, or a "quatrefoil." This tower had oval windows and seemed to hang over a rectangular 5-story base.
The tower was where mothers gave birth and babies were cared for. Nurses' stations were in the middle of the clover shape. Patient rooms were in the four "leaves" around the center. This design made it easy for nurses to reach patients quickly.
This building's shape was so unique that a famous engineer, William F. Baker, called it "the only example of its type anywhere in the world." Its curvy shape was also special because it was designed using early computer-aided design (CAD) tools. Engineers used software that was first made for airplanes to help design the building. This made the design process much faster.
Hospital History
Bertrand Goldberg started designing the hospital in 1971. It was named after Abra “Abbie” Cantrill Prentice. The hospital first opened its doors in 1975.
The building stopped being used as a hospital in 2011. This happened after the new Prentice Women's Hospital opened nearby in 2007. Northwestern University then announced plans to tear down the old building. They wanted to build a new medical research center in its place.
Many people, including famous architects (some of whom had won the Pritzker Prize, a top award for architects), wanted to save the building. They asked Northwestern University and the City of Chicago to protect it. They felt the building was important to Chicago's reputation for bold architecture. Architect Jeanne Gang even suggested a design that would keep the old building and add a new skyscraper around it.
Northwestern University argued that they needed the space for important medical research. This research would help fight diseases like heart disease, cancer, and children's illnesses. However, people who wanted to save the building pointed out that Northwestern Memorial Hospital owned empty land across the street. This land could have been used for the new research center instead.
Efforts to Save the Building
In September 2012, the Chicago Landmarks Commission said it would hold a meeting about the building. On November 1, 2012, the Landmarks Commission voted against making the building a protected landmark.
Later in November 2012, a judge named Neil Cohen stepped in. He temporarily stopped the city from giving permission to tear down the building. The judge wanted the Prentice building to be protected for a while. After the landmark status was denied, the National Trust for Historic Preservation started a campaign to save the building.
However, on March 18, 2013, Northwestern University announced that they had received permission to tear down the building. The National Trust for Historic Preservation later listed the Prentice Hospital as one of ten important historic sites lost in 2013.
An 8-minute movie about the fight to save the building was released online in October 2013. It had been shown at film festivals around the world. The film was made by Nathan Eddy, a Northwestern graduate. It included interviews with architecture critics and groups trying to save the building. The movie was shown in Chicago in March 2014, when the building was almost completely gone.
The demolition of the Prentice Women's Hospital was finished in September 2014.
Gallery
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View from the south across the vacant Veteran's Hospital site
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Detail of the tower facade at night, with oval windows illuminated
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Prentice Women's Hospital Chicago
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