Children's Hospital Site Remains Unchanged; Lurie's Applauded for Move

A little more than one year ago, Lincoln Park's Children’s Memorial Hospital shuttered, sending patients and staff shlupping to Streeterville.

Though little has changed locally, the new Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital has received several accolades. One of those stems from its seamless June 9, 2012, 3-mile move of 127 critically ill patients from the Lincoln Park facility, according to Advance, a news magazine focused on the medical industry.

The American Society for Training & Development presented the hospital with the 2012 Excellence in Practice Award for "Moment One Readiness Orientation", according to its website.

The ASTD received 150 submissions for the award from organizations all over the world. Lurie's was among nine chosen to receive one.

“The winning organizations demonstrate how learning increases the performance and success of organizations worldwide,” Tony Bingham, ASTD President and CEO said, in a news release.

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Meanwhile, the prime real estate on which the vacant Lincoln Park hospital sits—at Fullerton Parkway and Orchard Street—remains a ghost town.

Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce President Kim Schiff told Patch in March that the area surrounding the hospital has lost about 4,000 visitors each day—one of the reasons the inaugural street festival Lincoln Avenue LIVE was held in its shadow.

READ: New Street Festival to Showcase Former Children's Hospital Block

Local 43rd Ward Ald. Michele Smith recently told CBS Chicago that the reason there's been no progress is because, "We’ve had a long-standing community process for deciding what goes on the site."

McCaffery Interests Inc., an area developer, proposed a mixed-use space that Smith rejected, saying her constituents considered it too grand.

Residents concerned with an already busting-at-the-seams Lincoln Elementary School, 615 W. Kemper Place, were among critics to the proposal, which would have added a 900-person apartment building to the site.

READ: Overcrowded Elementary at Heart of Children's Memorial Redevelopment Debate

Parents urged McCaffery to provide space for a new school somewhere on the 6-acre Children's site or redraw attendance boundaries to send students to other nearby schools. After several community meetings, the plan did not move forward.

Lurie still owns the Lincoln Park site and pays for its maintenance and security.

Smith hopes to make progress on a longterm plan sometime this summer, CBS says.