Photos: Inside The Decaying, Vacant Cook County Hospital
By Mae Rice in News on Apr 11, 2016 5:25PM
The Cook County Hospital, empty since 2002, could be reborn, phoenix-like, into a modern hotel-slash-apartment-slash-shopping complex by 2018. Last week, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle unveiled plans to rehab the hospital, which is more than a century old, into 250 hotel rooms, 150 apartments and an array of retail shops. The Beaux Arts facade would be restored, according to the plans, as would elements of the interior.
Amidst all the chatter about what will happen to the historic hospital in the coming years, though, it's worth looking at what the structure—which Preckwinkle has called "derelict"—looks like in its current state. The shadowy gallery above shows what photographer Matt Tuteur found when he explored the hospital premises in 2007. If his photos are any indication, the place will need at least a fresh coat of paint (and several Ghostbusters missions) to get back up and running.