Northwestern Medicine donates former hospital site adjacent to high school to Woodstock School District 200

Northwestern Medicine is donating about four acres of land at the former Woodstock Memorial Hospital site to Woodstock School District 200, the health care provider said Wednesday.

The former hospital structure will be demolished in early 2021, according to a news release from the hospital system.

“This donation both demonstrates and strengthens our relationship with the Woodstock community,” Thomas McAfee, president of the Northwest Region at Northwestern Medicine, said in the release. “It will allow Woodstock School District to further expand educational opportunities and ensure the site will continue to serve future generations.”

The school district is making its plans for how it will use the land, according to the release. It is adjacent to Woodstock High School.

“We appreciate our partnership with Northwestern Medicine and the generous donation to our landlocked footprint on Woodstock High School’s South Street campus,” Superintendent Michael Moan said in the release. “The board of education will discuss how the space will best meet our needs.”

The South Street structure served as Woodstock’s hospital for about 80 years from 1915 to 1994, until a new facility was built at 3701 Doty Road, according to the release.

In recent years, the hospital housed business offices for the Centegra Health System, which merged with Northwestern in 2018, according to the Northwest Herald.

“Helping build stronger communities is part of our mission, and our relationship with Woodstock School District is vital to this work,” McAfee said. “While we understand that the land on South Street holds memories for members of our community, we know we will see its legacy live on through the children who attend Woodstock High School.”