Architect to be named for new Winchester House

A Milwaukee architectural firm is the top contender to design the nursing home that will replace the Lake County-run Winchester House.

Under a plan before county board committees this week, Plunkett Raysich Architects would be paid nearly $1.6 million to design the 175-bed skilled nursing care facility, which is set to be built off Winchester Road in Libertyville, near the current nursing home.

The older facility, which has room for 360 patients but has been underused and losing money for years, would close once the new one is built.

The replacement facility will take the Winchester House name. With an estimated price tag of $32 million, officials hope it will be completed by 2012.

County officials sent notices of the need for architectural services to 47 firms, and 12 responded. A selection committee narrowed that group to four finalists that were interviewed for the job.

Plunkett Raysich's portfolio includes a variety of high-profile projects in health care, education, housing, hotel and entertainment and other fields.

"Some of the projects they presented to us were very intriguing," Winchester House Administrator Anne Wagner said.

Most of its projects are in Wisconsin, but some - such as the Lake Forest Hospital outpatient and acute care center and that hospital's women's center - have been in Illinois.

"They came to us very well qualified," Wagner said. "They had a really good grasp on what our needs will be."

The county board's health committee will review the architectural proposal today during a meeting set for 1 p.m. at the county government center in Waukegan.

The county's financial committee will discuss the matter Wednesday, also at 1 p.m. at the county building.

The full board could vote on the contract during its next meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. April 14 at the county building.

County officials have wrestled over what to do with Winchester House and how best to serve the local aging population. The county board decided in 2007 to replace Winchester House with a smaller, more focused facility rather than shutting the center down or renovating it.

Officials have said they won't need to ask voters to approve a tax-rate increase to pay for the project. They expect to fund the project with a loan that will be paid back with tax and operating revenues.