Illinois Neuropsychiatric Institute Envelope Restoration

Chicago, IL

First assessed by AltusWorks in 2008 and again in the spring of 2020 under COVD-19 guidelines and protocol, the Illinois Neuropsychiatric Institute is part of the medical campus at the University of Illinois Chicago. Built on the original home plate of the Cubs Major League Baseball team in 1940, the design is Inspired by the structure and anatomy of the brain. The two towers represent the left and right hemispheres with the entry acting as the brain stem connecting the two. The building is adorned with bas-relief sculpted limestone elements that play on this theme – spinal cords, brain sections, and the names of early neurologists including Dr. Alzheimer.

After the assessment was complete and the budget established, AltusWorks was awarded a contract to design and administer the repair and restoration of this historic building’s envelope systems as well as explore future equitable accessibly solutions for the main entrance to ensure that the “green path” connecting campus facilities would easily pass through the entry and accommodate a change in elevation.

The $16M restoration program began in 2022 and will consist of roof replacement; masonry, terra cotta, and limestone repair and restoration; and window and door replacement along with new lightening and fall protection systems, new exterior lighting, a reconstructed monumental entrance, window treatments, and accessibility improvements. The project is schedule to be complete in 2025.