A rendering of Blue Cross and Blue Shield's offices at the Marshfield Plaza Building on Chicago's South Side.

CHICAGO—Officials with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois broke ground on Wednesday on its new nearly 130,000-square-foot facility at Marshfield Plaza on the South Side.

Blue Cross officials were joined by a host of city officials at the groundbreaking event, including Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and Alderman Carrie M. Austin.

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Morgan Park Center is expected to bring up to 550 jobs to the South End location at 119th Street and I-57. Blue Cross Blue Shield is repurposing the shuttered nearly 130,000-square-foot Marshfield Plaza Target store that closed earlier this year. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corp.

The company's Morgan Park location is expected to open in mid-2020. The health care services firm says it is raising the roof to bring the outside indoors in the employee workspace. Employee desks will surround open-air atriums to maximize natural light in the space.

"This future site is aimed at impacting both the economic and physical health of Morgan Park and the surrounding communities," says Maurice Smith, president of Health Care Service Corporation. "When we need to expand our operations, we look to areas where we can make an exponential impact—it makes sense for our members, our employees, and the entire community."

New positions at Morgan Park Center will include customer service support for members and health care providers in the BCBSIL network.

The BCBSIL Morgan Park Center will combine community health outreach, including nutrition classes, yoga and other programs, and employee workspace. In April, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois opened a Blue Door Neighborhood Center in the Pullman neighborhood, focused on positively impacting the health of people away from hospitals and physician offices.

"Our mission to expand equity across Chicago isn't limited to economic investment, but includes access to health and wellness support, jobs, and other vital resources needed for our families and communities to thrive," says Mayor Lightfoot. "This commitment by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois marks the latest step in that important journey, reflecting the vitality of our Morgan Park community and drive continued investment across our entire South Side."

Instant Insights /

Blue Cross Blue Shield Breaks Ground on New South Side Complex

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