Chicago Has Destroyed the Landscapes of Sasaki and Collins

In an act of cultural and environmental violence that has shocked the South Side, the City of Chicago and the Chicago 2016 Bid Committee have destroyed the beloved central parklands at Michael Reese Hospital. (text continues)

Sparing only a few trees, the community parks have been “clear cut.” Hundreds of trees have been killed, and all shrubbery, flowers, and ground cover has been scraped from the site. The new scorched earth setting, carefully masked from the surefire embarrassment of public scrutiny behind a thin veil of preserved vegetation and construction fencing, is a shock to all who have known and loved the campus in its original state.  (text continues)

The landscapes at Michael Reese were designed by Hideo Sasaki (of Sasaki + Novak, later Sasaki Walker), and Lester Collins, two of America’s premiere landscape architects. The landscape designers both worked closely with Walter Gropius and his associates at The Architects Collaborative to develop the landscapes in keeping with Gropius’s architecture and site planning theories. Prominent Art and architecture Critic Lynn Becker has called these settings “some of the most beautiful landscapes in the city.”  (text continues)

Chicago can offer no acceptable explanation as to why these landscapes have been destroyed. Surely, such a ruthless act of destruction is unnecessary for the simple “abatement” processes that have been promised to occur at Michael Reese Hospital for the time-being. The destruction of the landscapes is an intentional invalidation of the historic qualities of the Michael Reese Campus, a premeditated device targeted at robbing the Bronzeville neighborhood of its beauty, one intended to set the wheels in motion down Chicago’s ill-advised path of total site obliteration.  (text continues)

Preservationists and community activists have clamored to work with Chicago and the Bid Committee to arrive at a more sensitive plan for the site, but to no avail. Members of the Olympic Committee and the 4^thWard Alderman Preckwinkle have repeatedly stated that there are no “plans” to demolish the campus before the International Olympic Committee vote in October, but plans are known to change at any convenient moment’s notice. No real guarantees have been provided. Instead, demolition contracts have already been awarded - and the actions taking place at the site speak louder than words. In less than one week, the Michael Reese Campus has been thrust into a state of disrepair that will take enormous efforts, a great infusion of capital, and years of patience to reconcile.  (text continues)

            (original photograph © David Schalliol / Gropius in Chicago Coalition)

The shameless destruction of one of the South Side’s most beautiful organic settings, including the loss of hundreds of trees, flies in the face of Chicago’s declared goals of making the 2016 Olympic Bid the “Greenest” in history. Surely any city truly committed to environmentalism would have made some attempt to preserve the significant mature vegetation and park spaces on the site. No, friends, water-reducing urinals do not a green city make. The “greenwashing” of the Chicago Olympic Bid becomes even more pronounced with Chicago’s plan to demolish over 1.4 Million Square Feet of usable property at Michael Reese Hospital, with hardly a glance toward reusing the perfectly stable and beautiful structures.  (text continues)

The “Gropius Tree,” which was planted in Gropius’s honor in 1953, has survived this first onslaught of the chainsaw. Cassandra Francis, Director of the 2016 Olympic Village, has informed members of the Gropius in Chicago Coalition that three acorns will be salvaged from this tree before it is torn down. Gropius was never fond of token gestures, but unfortunately he is unavailable for comment at this time. We suppose he would have reacted with the same disgust to this ridiculous idea as have we.  (text continues)

Despite the ruthless and brutal acts depicted on this page, there is still hope for the Michael Reese Hospital Campus. We are asking everyone who cares about Chicago and great design to come to the critical community meeting on August 11. Please see the event details here.  Thank you.   (text continues)

 (all original photographs © Grahm M. Balkany / Gropius in Chicago Coalition, unless otherwise noted)

For more history on the landscapes of Michael Reese Hospital, please read the article at The Cultural Landscape Foundation. (end of text)