Frequently Asked Questions

1. When will the new hospital open?
2. Will Children’s Memorial’s name change?
3. Where will families and visitors park?
4. Where will employees and physicians park?
5. Has the rooftop heliport been approved?
6. What will happen to the current hospital in Lincoln Park?
7. Will Ronald McDonald House move too?
8. How are you paying for the new hospital?
9. Will you be merging with Northwestern?

1. When will Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago open?
   Summer 2012.
2. Will Children’s Memorial’s name change?
   Yes. When the new hospital opens in Summer 2012, Children’s Memorial Hospital’s name will change to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in recognition of the transformational $100 million gift from Ann Lurie.  In addition, the names of our outpatient centers and outreach partner hospital sites will change to reflect our new name in Summer 2012.
3. Where will families and visitors park?
   Parking for patients and visitors of Lurie Children's will be available in the Huron-Superior parking garage, which is just across Superior Street from the hospital. There will be a pedestrian overpass to provide access to/from the Huron-Superior parking garage. Families and visitors can also park in the Erie-Ontario garage, located a few blocks from the hospital.
4. Where will employees and physicians park?
   Following a comprehensive parking and traffic study, the four campus institutions – Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and Children’s Memorial – have committed to provide an additional 1,100 parking spaces to accommodate employees and physicians.  As a result, Northwestern Memorial Hospital will be building a new parking garage at 441 E. Ontario Street, which will primarily be used by employees and physicians of each of the institutions.  In addition, we are exploring remote parking options for employees and physicians of Lurie Children’s.
5. Has the rooftop heliport been approved?
   The City of Chicago has approved the zoning and construction of the heliport, and the Federal Aviation Administration has approved the proposed flight paths.  The final step is obtaining approval to operate the heliport from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).  IDOT is currently reviewing our application for the operation of the heliport.
6. What will happen to the current hospital in Lincoln Park?
   The hospital’s current property on the Lincoln, Fullerton and Halsted triangle, and the office space/retail shops/parking garage on Lincoln will be sold.  The hospital will maintain Children’s Memorial Research Center on Halsted just north of Fullerton, the administrative Belden Building on Belden and Halsted, and the Outpatient Center in Lincoln Park on Clark and Deming.
7. Will Ronald McDonald House move too?
   The Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana is building a new Ronald McDonald House at 211 E. Grand, which will be more than four times the size of its existing facility in Lincoln Park. The new RMH will expand its capacity from 21 to 86 rooms and will open in 2012 in conjunction with the opening of Lurie Children’s.
8. How much will the new hospital cost and how are you paying it?
   The design and construction of Lurie Children’s will cost approximately $915 million.  It will be paid for primarily through philanthropy, borrowing, government grants and the proceeds from the sale of the hospital’s current property.
9. Will you be merging with Northwestern?
   No.  Children's Memorial is the pediatric training site for Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and one of the most sought after pediatric residency programs in the country. Our move to Northwestern’s medical school campus will strengthen our academic and clinical partnerships, but we will remain and independent children’s hospital. 

For additional questions or for more information, please contact Mary Kate Daly, Director, New Hospital Communications, 773.880.8137.