Olympics Lost, But Demolition of Gropius Building Goes Ahead

"While Chicago's losing bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics was also seen as a major loss for the local architecture community, there was one small reason for celebration: Now that there was no pressing need for an Olympic Village, the Daley administration might delay or defer its plans for demolishing eight buildings designed by Walter Gropius at the Michael Reese hospital campus on the city's South Side.

No sooner did that celebration begin, though, than it became a wake. On Sunday, demolition crews began tearing down the Friends Convalescent Home, the first structure to be lost on the site. Asbestos abatement, which has kept the 28 buildings on the 37-acre campus standing months longer than expected, continues in those that remain, and while no others will be demolished immediately, they are expected to be gone by year's end."