Architects call on Rahm to save Prentice

Landmarks Illinois, rendering from reuse proposal for Bertrand Goldberg's old Prentice Hospital, 2011.

Photo: Courtesy of Landmarks Illinois

Mayor Emanuel received a letter Wednesday from more than 60 architects, academics and historic preservationists urging him to grant the Prentice Womens Hospital landmark status. Northwestern University owns the Streeterville building and intends to tear it down to construct a new research facility. The signees, who include Jeanne Gang and Frank Gehry, stressed a report by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which found that the building exceeds the criteria for Chicago landmark designation.

Bertrand Goldberg (19131997), the buildings architect and a Chicago native, is best known for Marina City. But Jonathan Fine, executive director of Preservation Chicago, says, The engineering significance of Prentice is far greater than Marina City. The building is designed like a tree, as seven concrete floors cantilever off the towers core like branches, hovering 45 feet above the towers base. This leaves the inside free of interior columns, which allowed Goldberg to avoid long hallways. Instead of being arrayed in rows, patient rooms are laid out in circular hubs centered on a nurses station. Fine says this approach represents the humanistic side of modernism and reflects Goldbergs desire to improve the hospital experience. Furthermore, Fine claims the lack of columns would make adapting the building to another use quite easy.

Besides drawing the attention of major Chicago and American architects, support for Prentices preservation came from around the world, with international signees from Europe, Australia and Asia. While the letter highlighted the global significance of Prentice, it also focused on the local risk posed by tearing down the tower. According to the letter, Chicagos global reputation as a nurturer of bold and innovative architecture will wither if the city cannot preserve its most important achievements.

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Architects call on Rahm to save Prentice