Construction is slated to be finished in June on a multimillion dollar project to modernize the Meadowbrook Manor nursing home in La Grange, while also maintaining its imposing historic appearance.
The south wing has been torn down and a new building stands in its place. The north wing will be demolished when the new building opens. It will be replaced by a garden.
The nursing home has about 113 residents.
“All of the resident rooms are being replaced,” said partner Nicholas Vangel of Butterfield Health Care, which owns the property at 339 9th Avenue.
About 20 percent of the new rooms will be private. A range of levels will be available in the private rooms from a basic room to a luxury private room. There also are semi-private rooms.
“It’s going to provide an ambience and comfortable environment like in your home or a five-star hotel,” Vangel said.
The $35 million project is financed in part by a loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The original structure was built in 1901 as the Illinois Masonic Orphanage. Additions were constructed in the 1930s and 1960s. The orphanage closed in 1964 and was converted to a nursing home.
The building hallways are narrower than what is needed for modern nursing homes, said John Maze, director of construction.
“It’s not a viable building for skilled nursing,” said Maze who noted that the new building will have 8-feet wide corridors compared to the existing ones that are 6-feet wide.
The building will feature a variety of amenities including an ice cream bar, coffee bar, library, dining rooms, spa and Internet cafes.
The construction project features a new nursing station and areas for physicians who specialize in such areas as wound care, cardiology, nephrology (with on site dialysis), and infectious diseases.
As they considered how to plan for the building’s future, planners determined the best course would be to preserve the original central building with its massive front porch and staircase. A new front entrance also is being built, but on the opposite side of the building.
“The entire facility does a 180,” Maze said. “The main entrance will be on Bluff Avenue, which is now on 9th Avenue.”
Reconfiguring the entrance eliminates the daunting stair climb, yet preserves and screens in the porch for relaxation, Maze said. The new entrance on Bluff will be ground level under cover of a portico, he said.
The plans also call for a park that Maze said may be built by August or September.
“We turned over the rights to the village to add a park,” Maze said.
“Prior to doing the project, we held several neighborhood meetings just to get the pulse. That’s how the toddler park came to be,” he said. “And all the delivery trucks will be on Benton, not 9th.”
Vangel said there is demand in the La Grange area for a higher end nursing home for both short and long-term stays.
“The demographics of La Grange suit what we doing here,” he said. “People are looking for something a little more upscale.”
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