A partnership between the Greater Joliet Area YMCA and Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers in Morris, Illinois, has resulted in a unique $21.5 million YMCA facility designed by architecture firm DesignGroup.

The newly built Morris Hospital YMCA’s strategic collaboration expands the reach of both the YMCA and the hospital, with the building’s architecture reflecting this unified approach to wellness.

The 60,523-square-foot facility, which celebrated its first anniversary this year, includes the community’s first new indoor pool, along with fitness spaces, rehabilitation and physical therapy areas, community rooms and a high school-size gymnasium. A new outdoor pavilion is set to open this spring, in advance of the YMCA’s summer camp season.

The site occupies a unique location near Morris Hospital, a local school and a city park, with direct access to a park trail system. As a result, the design prioritizes relationships with surrounding neighborhood amenities, particularly the park to the east of the long rectangular site.

To strengthen that connection, the building and parking areas were positioned toward the west end of the property, allowing for a larger green zone between the facility and the park. That outdoor space supports YMCA-specific amenities such as a soccer field and the pavilion, while improving connectivity between YMCA-managed outdoor areas and city parkland.

Budget constraints required the design team to think strategically about both current needs and long-term growth. The building was proactively planned for future expansion, allowing for efficient growth in priority areas such as community spaces, aquatics facilities and additional hospital programming without disrupting parking or drive lanes constructed during the initial phase. The approach also minimized paving near the building, enhancing access to and views of green spaces.

DesignGroup has partnered with Morris Hospital for decades, and the hospital served as a fundamental donor for the YMCA project. Hospital leaders viewed the collaboration as an opportunity to expand beyond acute care and engage more fully in prevention, wellness and rehabilitation services.

Morris Hospital services at the Y include rehabilitation services (cardiac, physical, occupational and speech therapy), orthopedics and cardiology office visits and wellness programs.

Construction began in June 2023, and the facility opened to the public in December 2024. DesignGroup collaborated with Korda on engineering and Narvick Bros. General Contractors on construction management.

The project was made possible through an ambitious capital campaign led by the YMCA, bringing a new level of wellness infrastructure to Morris, a rural community of about 15,000 residents in the southwest Chicago metropolitan area.

Design: DesignGroup
Photography: AJ Brown Imaging