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 Xanderrrrrr
 
 |  | Old Cook County Hospital
< on 10/25/2011 1:38 PM >
|  | | | I did this almost a year ago, but I just got around to doing the write-up recently, and I figured I'd share it here. It's an amazing building. If you like it, the images can be found larger on my flickr:
http://www.flickr....42075989%40N02&z=m
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The old Cook County Hospital is a formidable beast; it's been completely abandoned since 2002, and at almost 250,000 square feet, it took me an entire day to thoroughly explore. I only wish the other 950,000 square feet weren’t obliterated in 2008.
For a year-and-a-half I drooled over the sheer mass of the largest abandoned hospital I had ever seen. I went back on at least four separate occasions, hoping to find some feasible entrance that I had overlooked on previous scouts. After much deliberation, it became apparent that this lovely Beaux-Arts masterpiece would have to be a pre-dawn affair if I was to have my way with her. Of course, no gentleman comes empty-handed, so I was sure to pick up a 20ft ladder (which I brought home on the train all the way from O'Hare) just for the occasion. I had to bribe the cabbie with $40 to let me shove the ladder through his cab--in one window, out the other, protruding very illegally ~6ft on either side for the entirety of the three-mile journey. I told him I had a very urgent painting gig to do with my uncle...
After scoping the place out for a few minutes, I took out the towel I brought, folded it up, and draped it over the top of the very pointy chain-link fence that surrounds the perimeter. This way, I was able to slide the heavy-ish ladder over to the other side with speed and silence. I had to hide for a while as the medical district security car made several laps back and forth shortly thereafter. I ran around to the back. To my surprise, it fell considerably short of the 2 ½-story windows, but not enough to ruin everything. I WAS IN! Finally! I put down a few things I decided I wouldn't really need (some gaff tape, rope, small pocket knife, etc.), and the exploration began. The original plan was to pull the ladder inside at this point, but upon discovering a small collection of painting/construction equipment, I figured the ladder would just blend in.
They sealed it up pretty good, so the graffiti is thankfully VERY scant in this beautiful playground. Unfortunately, the place has been stripped of almost all medical equipment (trust me, spent 15 hours checking every room on every floor, including the basement). However, despite its lack of internal details, Cook County does possess one epic centerpiece that easily justifies the early rise: a very decrepit, 100-seat surgery auditorium.
This sweeping mass of cement, metal, and chipped paint can be found on the top floor, of course, where the sweetest treats in all hospitals are tucked away-- minus the morgues, which tend to be lower down, but Old Cook County’s morgue must have been torn out in 2008. There is a very similar auditorium adjacent to this one, but the stage is cluttered with some mysterious junk, so I stuck to the main stage.
After I had my fill of the main course, I picked my teeth with some interesting icicles.
I started to work my way down, but when I looked out the window (on the left in this photo on the 5th floor) I could see a small crowd of people in the vacant lot below.
"OH, PISS!" I thought. I guess the ladder didn't blend in with the construction gear as well as I had hoped. I hit the deck, and tore my respirator off to listen, praying not to hear the barking dogs, or the jingling of keys on an authoritative belt loop. But the noises never purged the illustrious yellow-brick façade, so after a good 20-minutes, I went about my mission. After the auditorium and the fear of prosecution, the rest of the place seemed a bit underwhelming. No hospital beds, no wheelchairs, no x-ray machines, not even a decent fuckin lonely chair to snap off a 79-stop HDR picture! Here are a few of the despondent relics I managed to find:
I had stayed up all night to ensure that I arrived as early as possible, and by now it was 5pm, and I was really starting to feel the effects of sleep deprivation and 4:00am take-out dining from 7/11. I was ready to leave, but the sun wouldn’t allow it, and I had to nap for a few hours on a pile of debris before making my escape. When I finally woke up, my way back to the point of entry, only to find that all of the items I had left there were GONE! They had come inside! They probably searched around the first few floors, but realized that they had 250,000 square feet against them, and gave up. Not before taking my ladder, of course. Even without a ladder, getting down wasn't too hard. Again, I turned to the aid of the construction equipment, grabbing hold of a cable coming down from the roof. With gloved hands, I slid/fell to the ground, and while it did amply soften the blow, it would have been far too thin to use for the ascent. So, about $100 poorer, I hopped over the fence, back into the real world, relishing the riches of golden memories and silver halide.
http://urbexpissplay.com/
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Jack Strathmore
  
Location: Adrian, MI
Gender: Male
Good friends bail you out of jail....true friends will be with you saying, "Damn, that was fun!
| |  | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 1 on 10/25/2011 4:01 PM >
| | | | Beautiful story and shots! Thanks for sharing!
Jack Strathmore
http://www.flickr....os/jackstrathmore/ |
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Anarchysoda
Location: Ft Carson, CO/Cinci, OH
Gender: Male
Who run barter town?
| |  | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 2 on 10/25/2011 11:41 PM >
| | | | Captivating. It looks like it may almost be worth a trip from Cincinnati.
http://www.flickr....otos/11381630@N03/ |
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CaptainTonus
Location: San Diego, CA.
Gender: Male
| | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 3 on 10/27/2011 6:16 PM >
| | | | That takes some serious balls! Nice work!
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Special K
Location: Chicago, IL
Gender: Male
| | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 4 on 10/27/2011 8:19 PM >
| | | | This is really awesome... I'd like to check it out sometime.
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Williamdc
Location: Grand Rapids
Gender: Female
| | | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 5 on 11/18/2011 4:07 AM >
| | | | Excellent photos. I would love to take a trip out here sometime. But if I'm understanding your story correctly, you said you napped inside the building?
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Xanderrrrrr
| | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 6 on 11/18/2011 4:55 AM >
| | | | Posted by Williamdc
Excellent photos. I would love to take a trip out here sometime. But if I'm understanding your story correctly, you said you napped inside the building?
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Yeah haha, I had to wait until it got dark to leave as to maintain undetected, and I stayed up all night the night before, so I just took a snooze for a few hours and waited for the sun to go away
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Williamdc
Location: Grand Rapids
Gender: Female
| | | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 7 on 11/18/2011 6:05 PM >
| | | | Posted by Xanderrrrrr
Yeah haha, I had to wait until it got dark to leave as to maintain undetected, and I stayed up all night the night before, so I just took a snooze for a few hours and waited for the sun to go away
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Oh my god, you have serious balls. I would be absolutely terrified to sleep in there.
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bigXmack
 
Location: illinois
Gender: Male
| | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 8 on 1/7/2012 2:37 AM >
| | | | i love this
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Urban-Explorer
Location: Hell's Drain
Gender: Male
| | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 9 on 1/9/2012 7:56 PM >
| | | | This is another on my list - good photos.
Main Site: urban-explorer.co.cc
Forum Gallery: ue-gallery.co.cc |
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Porcelain Doll
 
Location: philadelphia
Gender: Female
Who Cooks For You?
| | | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 10 on 1/10/2012 3:54 AM >
| | | | Oh wow, I thought the entire thing was torn down! Love the autopsy theater!
it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.
“Everyones so shady. That’s why I’m so fuckin pale.” - Porcelain Black |
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Glass
 
Location: Chicago
as one does
| | | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 11 on 1/10/2012 4:35 AM >
| | | | I've been wanting to get in there for a years--props on pulling it off.
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Tom Beckner
Gender: Male
| | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 12 on 2/21/2013 3:29 PM >
| | | | That place looks amazing. You had to have some balls to get in like that.
Now only if I had enough money to drive from Cleveland to Illinois for this place.
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DawnPatrol
Gender: Female
| | | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 13 on 2/21/2013 11:37 PM >
| | | | Best exploring story I have ever read.
I've wondered about that place before, figured it was an unattainable goal and moved on. Very cool to see some pictures of the inside. It sucks that most everything was stripped out, still sounds like an awesome explore though. Thanks for sharing your courageous epic!
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Xanderrrrrr
| | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 14 on 2/28/2013 8:19 AM >
| | | | Thanks! glad you liked the story. It was a very interesting day. Gonna have to go back and get some better pictures at some point
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crows
Location: Eastern Iowa
Il est interdit de faire smashy smash
| |  | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 15 on 3/3/2013 4:22 AM >
| | | | Gorgeous photos! Particularly that shot with the upright crutch and the tipped over radiator. Killer. Thanks for the story of your time here, too. Always love the stories. 
input: bacon | output: fiction |
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Thelma
Little T Poop Factory
| | | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 16 on 3/3/2013 9:57 PM >
| | | |
yes
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Xanderrrrrr
| | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 17 on 3/4/2013 3:39 AM >
| | | | haha of course thelma liked urbexpissplay.com. Well, I might just have to renew the domain
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dammband
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Gender: Male
| | Re: Old Cook County Hospital
<Reply # 18 on 3/5/2013 8:14 AM >
| | | | Great shots
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