In spring 2023, the longstanding fitness center at 775 Brom Drive on Naperville’s Edward Hospital campus abruptly closed.
Nearly two years later, the space remains vacant and unused, officials confirmed this week.
Edward-Elmhurst Health — now united under Endeavor Health — announced it would be closing its Naperville fitness center in March 2023 so that it could use the site to expand options for additional patient care services at Edward Hospital.
No information on what services might be opening in the building were announced at the time.
Asked what the state of the former fitness center was today, Endeavor spokesman Spencer Walrath said in an email Thursday, “We continue to evaluate the 775 Brom Drive space to expand options for additional patient care services, though no definitive plans have been made at this time.”
He added, “We remain committed to identifying opportunities that best serve our patients and the community.”
Walrath confirmed that the 775 Brom Drive space — which totals approximately 57,000 square feet — is at this time empty and not being used.
When the center’s impending closure was announced, club members responded with frustration. One member was so unhappy that he started an online Change.org petition, “Keep Edward-Elmhurst Fitness Center Open,” that amassed 3,440 signatures.
The center was built in 1988 under the direction of then-newly appointed Edward Hospital CEO Pam Davis. At its inception, the facility was the first medically-based fitness center in DuPage County.
In its absence, members were advised to switch to Edward-Elmhurst’s Seven Bridges health club, located about 15 minutes to the east at 6600 S. Route 53 in Woodridge.
However, members still urged officials to reverse their decision.
At a Naperville City Council meeting held shortly after the closure announcement was made, nearly half a dozen club members publicly aired their grievances. Also read into council record were 17 letters from other people who felt the same way and wanted officials to reconsider shuttering the facility.
The meeting was also attended by an Edward-Elmhurst Health representative, who explained the decision was the result of membership declines brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. They saw a roughly 20% decrease in paid customers through the course of the pandemic, the representative said, which made it challenging to continue operating the facility.
tkenny@chicagotribune.com
Edward Hospital’s fitness center in Naperville remains unused nearly two years after closure
