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Quigley seeks landmark status for county hospital; Move could foil Stroger's plan to tear building downCrain'sMarch 8, 2006By Greg HinzArguing that the former Cook County Hospital is of historic and architectural significance, County Commissioner Michael Quigley on Wednesday kicked off a campaign to designate the now-empty structure as a national landmark. Mr. Quigley announced that he has filed an application with the National Park Service to place the 93-year-old health facility on the National Register of Historic Places. That would give the former hospital some legal protection against demolition, and entitle anyone who rehabilitated the building to tax credits of up to 20% of project costs. Mr. Quigley and some other commissioners have been struggling with County Board President John Stroger, who considers the facility an expensive white elephant and wants to demolish it. The two sides so far have fought to a draw, with Mr. Stroger saying that maintaining the building costs taxpayers millions of dollars a year, but the Quigley group arguing it could be converted to physicians’ offices, or commercial or residential use. “You can fly into 20 cities in the U.S. and not know where you are. That’s not true in Chicago, because of our architecture,” said Mr. Quigley, whose announcement came at a morning press conference in front of the Beaux Arts-style building at 1835 W. Harrison St. Beyond that, the hospital was the home of the nation’s first blood bank and home to the country’s first major trauma center, Mr. Quigley said. Mr. Quigley was accompanied at his press conference by officials from several historic preservation groups and by Commissioner Forrest Claypool, who is opposing Mr. Stroger for re-election in the March 21 Democratic primary. Mr. Stroger’s spokeswoman did not have an immediate response to the move by Mr. Quigley.
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