Scaffolding is rising around the former Write Inn Hotel at 211 N. Oak Park Ave. as Housing Forward begins an $18.5 million renovation of the 100-year-old building into a modernized supportive housing facility.

The project, first reported by the Wednesday Journal, launched in early October after Housing Forward relocated all clients and its RISE Medical Respite Program to the Oak Park YMCA in September. Chief executive officer Lynda Schueler estimated the work will take about 13 months.

The building sits within the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District but is not landmarked. Exterior work, including tuckpointing, new windows and a new roof, will come first. Interior upgrades will include new mechanical, HVAC and electrical systems. The art deco hotel lobby will be preserved as office space.

After the renovation, the facility will have 61 private bedrooms with bathrooms and kitchenettes, according to the village's weekly report. The number of ADA-accessible rooms will jump from four to 22. New amenities will include a prep kitchen, a community room and a redesigned patio.

The building is not landmarked.

Schueler told the Wednesday Journal the upgraded space will provide "predictability, privacy and a sense of community" for clients. Housing Forward has served more than 800 people at the site over six years, and roughly 80% moved into permanent housing, she said.

Five public agencies are funding the project: the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), the Village of Oak Park and Cook County through American Rescue Plan Act funds. Housing Forward's FORWARD capital campaign, its first, is also raising private dollars.

Before scaffolding went up, a new sign was installed on the facade rebranding the building as the Oak Inn. Hemmingway's Bistro, the ground-floor restaurant that operates independently, will remain open during and after construction.

If the 13-month timeline holds, the renovated facility would reopen around November 2027.