Ettrick Building and Nurses Residence up for demolition at this months Preservation Board

Both the Ettrick Building on the corner of Euclid & Forest Park Boulevard and the Shoenberg Nurses Residence on Forest Park west of the Ettrick are proposed for demolition on this months Preservation Board agenda for Monday, July 27th. This does not come as a surprise, as I posted last year, BJC had the Board of Alderman pass an ordinance for a new Community Unit Plan, which outlines their wishes for expansion over the next 10 years. This included maps showing locations of new construction and demolitions.

The Unit Plan states that the Ettrick is to be replaced with a new building to house expanded resident clinic facilities, of approximately 200,000 square feet and structured for vertical expansion. The Preservation Board agenda states that the buildings would be demolished for "a multi story Ambulatory Care Clinic and retail space w/ connecting bridge. It remains to be seen what the new structure would look like.


As I mentioned in my previous post, the retail spaces at the Ettrick were added at a later date and create an awkward moat situation along Euclid which compramizes the sidewalk area. I the Ettrick is a beautiful building, but because of the situation pictured above, I will be reserving my judgement until I see the new building design. An additional 3 story building just to the north of the Ettrick is also called out for demolition and replacement as part of this proposal. This building has no retail spaces opening onto Euclid due to a similar half exposed basement as the Ettrick. The building is listed as being built in 1905, but was covered at some time by a permastone like material, then again in the 1980's with an EIFS system with a weak Post Modern design.


Farther west on Forest Park, just east of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, what is now called the Shoenberg Research Building was shown on the Unit Plan to be demolished for an expansion of the large North Garage just to the east. The buildings original use is inscribed in stone "Shoenberg Nurses Residence" over the entrance.