Kathy's House

A Home Away from Home for Patients

Kathy’s House, a non-profit, hospital guest house in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, has opened a new 30,000-square foot, two-level facility on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC) grounds, adjacent to the Froedtert Hospital. Celebrating 20 years, Kathy’s House has provided affordable lodging for thousands of people traveling to the Milwaukee area for medical treatment.

As demands for their services steadily increased, Kathy’s House began planning and researching for a new facility in 2016. We worked with Kathy’s House on the twin goals of doubling capacity and expanding their services to better meet patient needs.

Each of the 36 short- and long- stay guest suites were carefully designed to make the spaces feel like more than a hotel room. In addition to double or queen-sized beds, rooms have ample closet space, as well as comfortable chairs and workspaces, and the long-stay suites feature kitchenettes. To create a home-like environment, we focused on details such providing operable windows in guest rooms and incorporating skylights to draw in as much fresh air and light from the outside, with views to the outdoors and the surrounding landscape.

Outside, there is a large courtyard with garden spaces for guests to enjoy, a walking trail that rings the site and an outdoor sitting deck overlooking the courtyard and ponds beyond. There are also seating areas at the front of the house to provide a variety of lighting conditions and a sense of home and inviting.

Unique to hospital guest houses like Kathy’s House, the new house has a separate wing for immunocompromised patients. Additionally, if a patient has a minor medical need, such as a blood draw or telehealth visit, we designed an inpatient medical space, allowing guests to stay at Kathy’s House rather than go to the hospital.