St. Joseph Village
Senior Village to Replace Franciscan's First Facility
by Paula Widholm

Seniors on Chicago's Northwest Side will soon have a new option for affordable skilled nursing care and assisted living, but the provider certainly is not a newcomer to the neighborhood.

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Next summer, the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago Service Corp. will open a 94,200-sq.-ft., three-story complex that includes a 54-bed skilled-nursing unit and a 40-unit assisted-living facility at Belmont and Pulaski avenues. Under construction on the site of the former Madonna High School, St. Joseph Village replaces the 108-year-old St. Joseph Home of Chicago, a not-for-profit skilled nursing facility just 10 blocks away. A project cost was not released.

Remaining in the neighborhood was essential. "We've been here for over 100 years, and this is where all the Franciscan Communities got started," said Ron Hart, director of plant operations for Franciscan Communities.

St. Joseph Home of Chicago came to fruition thanks to Mother Mary Theresa Dudzik OSF, foundress of the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago. The organization now operates 12 senior communities, with six in the Chicago area and six in other states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Texas.

"When we decided to close Madonna High School, we kept the property," said Ken Kronke, field plant operations director. "Since St. Joseph had an old facility, we decided to build a replacement facility on the site."

Most residents from St. Joseph Home will transfer to the assisted-living component of the new community. Future plans for the 4.7-acre site include constructing an independent-living building as well.

Kronke said each Franciscan senior housing community is unique to its geographic location. For example, University Place in West Lafayette, Ind., was designed mainly to attract retired faculty from Purdue University.

Design with Healing in Mind

Milwaukee-based Eppstein Uhen Architects designed St. Joseph Village to provide a home-like atmosphere, which includes multiple dining areas arranged in households throughout the facility.

"The dining rooms and living rooms are shared in smaller groups," said Jeri McClenaghan-Ihde, the project manager for Eppstein Uhen. "It's more residential in nature."

Designed to be in context with the existing neighborhood, the Y-shaped red brick building features an off-white stone base with a matching decorative stone band around the top. Some green-sloped canopies give a little accent color. Wrought-iron fencing and brick piers will surround the site. The community is gated not only to keep people out, but also to keep residents safe and secure.

McClenaghan-Ihde added that the building has a "cool roof," a white roof so the building doesn't become a heat sink, which is part of the city of Chicago's efforts to build ecologically sound structures so as not to make the city a huge solar collector.

"For each new development they're looking at putting a cool roof that doesn't reflect or a green roof with soil and plants," she said.

Lush landscaping was also a major part of the design. Residents will be able to stroll through three separate gardens designed by Martha Tyson, a landscape architect known nationwide for designing therapeutic outdoor environments.

A team with Franciscan Communities is designing the chapel, which includes beautiful art glass and special art pieces made by restoring some of the windows of the existing St. Joseph Home. An artist is also creating a baldachin. The chapel will be topped with a cupola.

Designers needed to coordinate the varying viewpoints on senior living care supported by the city of Chicago and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"Each have distinct ideas about how to care for the elderly," McClenaghan-Ihde said. "What's most important is keeping them safe and secure."

Senior housing design trends continue to emphasize creating environments that have a residential feel, McClenaghan-Ihde said. "Whether its suburban, rural or urban, most people don't want to leave their homes so we try to make their stay less institutional," she added.

To give the complex on busy Belmont Avenue a more residential feeling, there is a view into a garden from every window. "You can also see all the way to downtown on a nice day," McClenaghan-Ihde said.

Amenities include a library, exercise room, spa, activity rooms, conference rooms, physical therapy room, a town square for activities and gathering, a country convenience store, beauty salon, administrative offices and onsite parking.

A private dining room for up to about 20 people can also be reserved for private parties. "It's done up like a formal dining room in a nice home," McClenaghan-Ihde said. "These types of rooms are usually well-used for birthdays and anniversaries."

Senior housing made great strides through the 90s, said McClenaghan-Ihde, who has been specializing in senior housing design for 17 years.

"The interior finish materials look more residential but they also function for the incontinent," she said. "Floors, chairs and sofas are now made in a new way to be more cleanable and appropriate for seniors."

Construction Ahead of Schedule

General contractor Henry Bros. Co. began work in the spring and was given an 18-month schedule. The Hickory Hills-based firm quickly reduced the construction time frame to 14 months.

The firm self-performed the excavation, hauling away more than 2,000 truckloads of rubble that remained onsite after the demolition of Madonna High School two years ago. Henry is also self-performing the carpentry.

While many sites in Chicago require steel sheeting or shoring, this one did not because it wasn't close enough to any adjacent structures or streets.

The structural support is structural steel, masonry bearing and precast concrete planks. Prior to completing the exterior façade of split-face block and brick, the building is being damp-proofed.

With the three stories built, construction of the roof is the next priority before winter sets in.

Concurrently, Henry will coordinate the installation of the underground water detention system. Water runoff from the parking lots and landscaping will be detained underground in 6-ft.-diameter pipes that will slowly feed into the city's storm system. There is 138,575 cu. ft. of detention water storage.

Chicago Alderman Ray Suarez assisted Henry in obtaining permits. At his request, Henry also worked with trade unions to employ the neighborhood workforce on the job.