When the century-old Copley Hospital in downtown Aurora was closed in 1995—a replacement state-of-the-art facility was opened that year on the city’s southeast side—developers talked broadly about repurposing the massive 350,000-square-foot campus for retail shops, apartments and even a church. One proposal called for demolishing the whole thing to make way for a public park.
Now a new set of developers has emerged with a novel idea: they want to bring medical services back to Copley, after clearing away the graffiti and asbestos and repairing the leaky roof and broken windows. In the wake of a recent approval from the Aurora City Council, they hope to begin work as soon as next week.
“This part of Aurora that Copley left behind has turned into a desert for medical services,” says Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, who was born at the old Copley. “Our hope is to bring back a health care facility there, among other things.”
