Aurora from the inside: 02-24-10

Photos by Jeff Rumage

Nearly 10 years of planning will finally pay off for Aurora Health Care on Saturday, when the organization unveils its $189 million medical center to the public during an open house.

The new medical center will feature 117 beds within an 800,000-square-foot facility at the southeast corner of Interstate 94 and Highway 67 in the town of Summit.

The public is invited to tour the hospital at 36500 Aurora Drive from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The entire building is four stories tall but has the ability to be taller, because all of the mechanicals are located in a small building closer to I-94. An underground tunnel connects the mechanical building to the hospital.

The Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic is currently two stories tall but has the potential to add another two levels.

The facility has entrances at the ambulance, hospital, emergency room, Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic and the main entrance to the Wilkinson Clinic.

From the entrance of the clinic, visitors can see all the way down to the hospital. Visitors can also regain their sense of place in the building through an open-air courtyard in the middle of the facility.