Tomorrow, June 30, 2009, Chicago is expected to close on its purchase of Michael Reese Hospital on the South Side of Chicago.  Costing $86 Million Dollars to purchase the site and clear it of buildings and landscapes, the funds for the transaction are being secured by a taxpayer-backed mortgage.  Additional money for site upgrades, including new roads and infrastructure, will come from TIF funds.

Despite on-going pleas from the preservation community, both locally, nationally, and internationally, the City of Chicago is moving full speed ahead with plans to clear the entire campus.   This comes despite any guarantee that the Olympic Games are headed to Chicago, and without any negotiation with the International Olympic Committee concerning possibilities allowing for adaptive reuse.

Requests from preservationists that a demolition be delayed at least until the games are awarded have not been heeded.  Chicago 2016 claims that it is focused on winning the bid, and that it cannot be distracted.

ABC 7 News today reported on the story in a 3:25 piece today, which headlined the 5:00 news.