The importance of Prentice: Preservationists’ video discusses threatened Bertrand Goldberg work
By Lee BeyThe importance of Prentice: Preservationists’ video discusses threatened Bertrand Goldberg work
By Lee BeyThe preservation of old Prentice Women’s Hospital—architect Bertrand Goldberg’s concrete cloverleaf growing from a Miesian glass box—has been on the agenda of Chicago’s preservation groups for some time now. And that will likely intensify as Northwestern Memorial Hospital hands over ownership of the 36-year-old building to Northwestern University this year . The university intends to raze the building and construct a research building in its place.
One of the organizations battling to save the structure, Preservation Chicago, produced the above video calling for the preservation of Prentice. Along with some pretty good photography, the well-done video features architect Jack Hartray, experts Bob Bruegmann and Cheryl Kent, and Goldberg’s son, architect Geoffrey Goldberg discussing the building’s architecture, history and engineering.
In addition to Preservation Chicago, the coalition of groups seeking to save Prentice includes Landmarks Illinois, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and DoCoMo (an international group dedicated to documenting and conserving the modern movement)