by Alex Morales
Published: November 14, 2011

On September 7 Instituto Del Progreso Latino (IDPL) opened the doors of its Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy, a new charter high school that will pave the way for the next generation doctors, nurses, informatics professionals, and bio-technicians. The high school serves 600 Chicago youth in grades 9 to 12. The Resurrection Project was the lead developer on this $22 million project for IDPL. The Resurrection Project helped Instituto transform a 77,000 square foot warehouse at 2520 South Western Avenue into a 100,000 square foot, state of the art educational facility. The project involved the adaptive reuse of the existing facility and the addition of a new construction structure adjacent to the building.

“So many of our children grow up hoping one day to become a doctor, or a nurse, or a veterinarian,” said Juan Salgado, president and chief executive officer, Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy. “Now we can connect our students’ passion for math and science into well-paying careers in medicine, nursing, informatics and biotechnology.”
Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy construction spurred economic development during these difficult times. The $22 million project was supported by a $12 million dollar grant from State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development through the Illinois Job Now Capital Bill. The development was also possible with the support and investment from the City of Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development, Local Initiative Support Corporation (New Market Tax Credits), Harris Bank, and JPMorgan Chase. Development partners include McShane Construction Company (General Contractor), JGMA Architects (Design Consultant), and Ghafari Associates, Inc. (Architect of Record).
For more information on Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy please visit their website at www.healthacademy.idpl.org .