$17.2 Million Ottawa Medical Office Breaks Ground

Morris Hospital & Healthcare Center broke ground October 21, 2026, on a $17.2 million medical office and diagnostic center at 1700 Columbus Street in Ottawa, Illinois. The two-story, 22,900-square-foot building is designed by Erdman and is slated to open in early 2028.

Shaw Local reported October 22, 2026, that construction is expected to take approximately 15 months. The project combines physician offices, laboratory services and diagnostic functions in a single building north of CVS.

Key Project Facts

• Project type: Medical office and diagnostic center.
• Location: 1700 Columbus Street, Ottawa, Illinois, north of CVS.
• Size: 22,900 square feet across two stories.
• Value: $17.2 million.
• Owner: Morris Hospital & Healthcare Center.
• Architect: Erdman.
• Stage: Groundbreaking held October 21, 2026.
• Schedule: Approximately 15 months of construction; opening planned for early 2028.
• Associated infrastructure: A traffic signal at Columbus Street and Nebraska Street.

22,900-Square-Foot Building Combines Offices and Diagnostics

The Ottawa facility will bring together Morris Hospital services currently spread among approximately 10 buildings in the city. Its program combines clinical office space with laboratory and diagnostic uses rather than providing physician offices alone.

Planned functions include:

• Multi-specialty physician offices.
• Laboratory services and lab work.
• Diagnostic imaging.
• Cardiac diagnostics.

For contractors and suppliers, that combination makes the clinical fit-out a central consideration. Coordination between office interiors and diagnostic spaces could affect building-services distribution, equipment installation sequencing and finish work.

Groundbreaking Sets Up an Early 2028 Opening

The October 21, 2026, ceremony marks the project's move beyond planning. Shaw Local reports an approximately 15-month construction duration, while its project photo captions identify late 2026 as the expected construction start and early 2028 as the planned opening.

Morris Hospital Chief Executive Officer Tom Dohm said the project had been discussed for more than a decade and that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to delays. For firms tracking the development, the current milestones are the completed groundbreaking and the planned early 2028 opening.

Clinical Fit-Out and Street Work Require Coordination

The two-story medical building combines several service types within a 22,900-square-foot footprint. Contractors evaluating later-stage packages should consider how mechanical, electrical, plumbing and interior systems could need to accommodate both physician offices and diagnostic functions.

Potential coordination priorities include equipment interfaces, service routing and the sequence of interior installation. These are scope-based considerations for a medical office and diagnostic center, rather than confirmed project specifications.

The development also includes an associated traffic signal at Columbus Street and Nebraska Street, in front of Jefferson School. Ottawa Mayor Robert Hasty said the signal would accompany construction of the medical office.

That street improvement is a separate coordination point from the building's clinical fit-out. Contractors planning deliveries and site access should account for the relationship between building work and intersection activity.

Construction Trades Involved

With groundbreaking completed, the project has entered its early construction stage; early site and structural packages should not be treated as prospective unawarded work.

Later-stage trades that could potentially still be available, subject to procurement status, include:

• Mechanical systems and HVAC.
• Plumbing.
• Electrical systems.
• Fire protection.
• Roofing.
• Glazing.
• Drywall.
• Insulation.
• Flooring.
• Painting.
• Elevators.
• Doors and hardware.

For these trades, the relevant scope is a two-story healthcare building with both office and diagnostic functions. Firms should verify package status and project-specific requirements before committing estimating resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Morris Hospital's new Ottawa medical office located?

The building is planned at 1700 Columbus Street in Ottawa, Illinois, north of CVS.

How big is the project, and what is its value?

The medical office and diagnostic center will contain 22,900 square feet across two stories. The reported project value is $17.2 million.

When is the building expected to open?

The facility is slated to open in early 2028. Groundbreaking took place October 21, 2026, and construction is expected to last approximately 15 months.

For contractors and suppliers, the Ottawa project is a defined healthcare development with a clinical fit-out, a two-story building program and associated intersection work. With groundbreaking complete, later-stage systems and interior packages are the appropriate focus for procurement checks.

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