Established in 1986, ProMedica is a locally owned, nonprofit healthcare organization driven by their mission to improve health and wellbeing. As they grew organically, they focused on their clinical facilities, while administrative staff were housed across several locations. Because ProMedica sees its success rooted in the community, it decided to build a new, centralized headquarters in the heart of downtown Toledo. Located adjacent to Promenade Park on the Maumee River, ProMedica’s new home opened in 2017, and is transforming downtown by connecting employees and the community to the riverfront and each other.

ProMedica’s headquarters is an adaptive re-use of two buildings: an historic, Daniel Burnham-designed steam plant, 124,000 square feet, and a brutalist junction building, 102,000 square feet. A new, 760-car parking garage on the south side of the park is dedicated to employees. The garage’s north façade features a large screen for public film screenings or concerts, and its Summit St. façade houses 5,200 square feet of street level retail space. With dramatic landscapes and articulated modern architecture, the design complements the scale of the existing city while creating dramatic gestures toward the waterfront.

The Design

The campus represents an architectural timeline of the development of the Toledo waterfront. The newly updated Promenade Park, part of the HKS-designed master plan for the Toledo waterfront, includes new landscaping, a variety of spaces to host public concerts and festivals, and engaging, public art installations. Gathering spaces in the headquarters highlight elements of hospitality and refreshment. Reclaimed wood adorns the atrium café, which also features pendant lighting that was saved and restored from the original Steam Plant building. The atrium can be transformed into event space for after hour happenings.

Health and Wellbeing

ProMedica’s commitment to health and wellbeing extends from the community and into the design of their office space. The headquarters includes a 5,500-square foot YMCA on the lower level of the junction building, and two restaurants on the ground floor. The designers employ principles of biomimicry and design strategies connect interior spaces to views of the landscape beyond. Natural materials, native to the site, are utilized and every desk features a sit-to-stand work surface. Employees have constant access to outdoor spaces, with opportunities to take walking meetings or a lunch on the promenade. The cafeteria spills out onto the Riverwalk, and a roof deck on the fourth floor provides employees with scenic views across the Maumee River.