Legat Architects
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Care at the Core

Before construction, the building’s hardwood paneling, marble, and granite made it insular and less welcoming.

The renewed interiors, fusing the client’s color scheme with contemporary materials, welcome the community and celebrate the facility’s origins. An extended display window houses a grand stair and brings natural light deep into the building. Photos of the owner’s diverse staff and clientele line the corridors.

Deliberately preserved bank relics ornament the 24,000-square-foot facility. Refurbished vault doors with spinning locks recall the facility’s previous role. On the lower level, safe deposit boxes offer another reminder. They also create a decorative backdrop in the lounge-like staff break room

“Legat transformed a dark, inward-focused building into a vibrant community pillar that encapsulates the Erie brand/vision, responds to the cultural nuances of the neighborhood, and respects our funding limitations.”

Watch Video – New Personality for an Old Building

ENR Midwest honored the Erie HealthReach Waukegan Health Center with an Award of Merit for Interior/Tenant Improvement in its Best Projects competition. Watch this video to find out how an “impenetrable” 1970s-era bank became an “open and welcoming” community health center.

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“The design has been a critical part of our impact on both patients and staff. For instance, the beauty and openness of the main stair has inspired them to take the stairs rather than the elevator.”

Let There Be Lightness

Read Chicago Architect magazine’s article “Let There Be Lightness” to learn how the design “flipped the building’s personality from inward-looking to outward-looking.”

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