Part of the former Marquette Mall in Michigan City will receive a makeover thanks to Franciscan Health and Tonn and Blank Construction.

The partners are planning to transform the former J.C. Penney into a 120,000-square-foot medical office building. J.C. Penney closed in 2015.

Before building can start, city officials must approve the project. The project is scheduled for completion at the end of 2027. Tonn and Blank Construction purchased the mall in 2025.

Plans for the medical facility include space for more than 45 physicians, imaging and an urgent care center. Resident ambulatory rotations also will be supported.

“We are excited to bring this project to Michigan City for the benefit of the residents and those of the surrounding counties,” said Stacey Leva, president and CEO of Franciscan Health Michigan City, in a press release. “Meeting the needs of the patients we serve by locating services under one roof and making care more easily accessible supports our Franciscan values in action.”

Specialists on site will include internal medicine, orthopedics, family medicine, pediatrics, ENT and audiology, and endocrinology and rheumatology.

The space on the northwest corner of U.S. 421 and U.S. 20 is 2.5 miles north of Franciscan Health Michigan City at U.S. 421 and Interstate 94.

Similar multi-specialty facilities in St. John and Valparaiso are also under construction. Both projects are scheduled for completion at the end of this year.

Tonn and Blank Construction joined the Franciscan Alliance in 1998, and does business as a for-profit construction company. It was founded in 1922.

The Franciscan Alliance‘s journey began in 1875. The health system now supports 11 hospital campuses and employs more than 16,000 people.