Riverside Healthcare says it will demolish the long-vacant former Cigna office in Bourbonnais after discovering extensive water damage and mold that make rehabilitation impractical. The Kankakee-based health system — which took ownership of the site through a donation in mid-2025 — plans to clear the property and announce redevelopment ideas later this year.
After months of inspection and cleanup, Riverside concluded the building cannot be safely or economically restored. Officials cited pervasive moisture intrusion and fungal contamination from years of disuse as the deciding factors, leaving demolition as the most viable path forward.
Key facts about the site
Free fall clothing and household items in Kankakee: Still I Rise hosts community giveaway
Online poker teeters after massive cheating scandal: industry and players hit hard
- Address: 4882 N. Convent St., Bourbonnais
- Size: approximately 155,000 square feet
- Previous tenant: Cigna (2000–2015); the site once housed roughly 1,200 employees
- Ownership history: BHCP of Bourbonnais LLC/Hager Pacific Properties (Encino, California)
- Donation: transferred to Riverside in June 2025; 2024 assessed value was about $8.25 million
- Next step: demolition, funded by Riverside; redevelopment plans to be revealed later in the year
Riverside will shoulder the cost of tearing down the structure along U.S. Route 45 at St. George Road. The health system — Kankakee County’s largest employer — says it reviewed multiple repair and reuse scenarios but that remediation expenses outweighed potential benefits.
“We explored options to preserve and repurpose the building for local needs,” Riverside president Phil Kambic said in a statement, noting that technical assessments and outside expertise informed the decision. He added that removal of the structure was the most responsible course for public safety and long-term planning.
The complex has been largely empty since Cigna vacated in 2015. During the years on the market, the California-based ownership group attempted to attract buyers or tenants but did not secure a long-term occupant, prompting the eventual donation to Riverside earlier this year.
Bourbonnais Mayor Jeff Keast welcomed the move and praised Riverside’s collaborative approach. He said village leaders were consulted during the evaluation and look forward to working with the health system on whatever comes next at the site.
Local implications are practical and immediate: clearing the property removes a blighted or potentially hazardous structure and returns a high-profile parcel to development consideration. For residents, the loss of a large vacancy could mean new services, jobs, or community facilities depending on Riverside’s forthcoming plans.
Riverside operates more than 40 locations across Kankakee, Iroquois, Will and Grundy counties. Officials declined further comment Friday while planners finalize proposals to present to the public later this year.
