Frequently Asked Questions

Q & A with Bruce Komiske, Chief of New Hospital Design and Construction.   Read more.

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

1. When will Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago open?
   June 9, 2012.
2. Will Children’s Memorial’s name change?
   Yes. When the new hospital opens in June 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 will change to reflect our new name.
3. Why move downtown?
   

   This strategic downtown Chicago location enables us to enhance collaborations with our academic and clinical partners:

   • Our research mission and our ability to recruit top pediatric specialists will be strengthened by sharing the campus of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
   • We will be connected by a pedestrian bridge to Prentice Women's Hospital - the largest birthing center in Illinois - to expedite care to critically ill newborns.
   • Close proximity to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago will help us better transition our young patients to adult care. 
4. Where will families and visitors park?
   Parking for patients and visitors of Lurie Children's will be available in the Huron-St. Clair parking garage, which is just across Superior Street from the hospital. There will be a pedestrian overpass to provide access to/from the Huron-St. Clair parking garage. Families and visitors can also park in the Erie-Ontario garage, located a few blocks from the hospital.
5. Where will employees and physicians park?
   Parking for physician on staff at Lurie Children's will be available at a new garage currently under construction at 441 E. Ontario Street, about 5 blocks from the employee entrance to Lurie Children's. Our employees and medical staff will have access to almost 500 parking spaces in this garage. We are also exploring additional parking options for employees and medical staff of Lurie Chilren's. A full parking and transportation plan is expected to be complete this summer.
6. 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.
7. 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.  A development team is expected to be chosen this summer. The goal is to close on the properties in the summer of 2012. The hospital will maintain Children’s Memorial Research Center on Halsted just north of Fullerton, and the administrative Belden Building on Belden and Halsted. The Outpatient Center in Lincoln Park (at the intersection of Clark and Deming) will remain open, offering expanded services.

8. 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.

9. 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.
10. 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.