group of reprint photographic images of michael reese hospital as it appeared in 1960

a group of aerial photographic images, scanned from original 4 x 5 negatives, showing michael reese hospital as it appeared in august 1960.

the former michael reese hospital, at 2929 s. ellis avenue on chicago’s near south side, is architecturally significant for linking sullivanesque prairie school design with international style bauhaus modernism.

 its campus developed in two major phases. the early 1907 hospital building was designed by hugh m. g. garden of schmidt, garden & martin and featured brickwork and stylized terra cotta ornament typical of the prairie school era.

in the 1940s and 1950s, bauhaus founder walter gropius served as a planning consultant for the campus expansion. working with reginald isaacs and firms including loebl, schlossman & bennett, gropius helped shape a modern functionalist complex, including the psychosomatic institute, a rare large-scale example of bauhaus-influenced urban planning in chicago.

despite intense preservation battles led by activists and historians attempting to protect gropius's legacy, the city of chicago moved forward with a sweeping demolition of the campus starting around 2009 to clear land for a failed 2016 olympic village bid.

during demolition by heneghan wrecking, historic elements were documented and salvaged. eric nordstrom, founder of the chicago architectural salvage company urban remains, extensively recorded the destruction, and his team rescued remnants such as prairie-style terra cotta fragments and masonry from hugh garden’s original building before the campus was cleared.