A Historical Landmark, Reimagined

Cook County Hospital is a Chicago icon and one of our most fascinating landmarks. Founded in 1857 as a teaching hospital, the institution revolutionized medicine with innovations such as the country’s first medical internship program and the world’s first blood bank. It even had a starring role in The Fugitive! But international renown can’t stop the wear and tear of time, and the original building was eventually vacated in 2002. It’s been empty ever since—until now.

MB Real Estate, along with MDG Developers, Walsh Construction, and other partners, has embarked on a massive project to completely revitalize this local landmark. Their goal is to transform the long vacant building and its surrounding areas into a vibrant campus boasting high-end retail, luxury residential spaces, medical offices, and more. It’s an ambitious process, and Torque Digital Marketing is documenting every step on its journey.

 Every month, our very own Eric Masi is visiting the site, taking pictures of the state of the building in that moment, as well as the people and machines that have been working hard to get it there. 6 pictures are then chosen to accompany a series of brief and informative social media posts, each of which sheds light on one aspect of the ongoing development. 

In addition, our videographer Javad Khadivi has teamed up with the drone specialists at Robo Aerial to create video montages of the building’s progress, and releasing one for every month of the campaign. Through these videos, you’ll be able to see the once-derelict building slowly change into a thing of wonder and beauty, step by step.

The revitalization of Cook County Hospital is sure to be an incredible adventure, and we can’t wait to share it with you.