PBC Approves Companies to Bid on Michael Reese Demolition

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 10, 2009 6:40PM

Over 20 companies submitted their qualifications to handle the demolition of Michael Reese Hospital should Chicago win the 2016 Summer Olympics and now the Public Building Commission has whittled the final list down to 12. Those 12 companies can now start putting together their bid packages to earn the contract with the city. The hospital is the proposed site of the planned Olympic Village. And at least one firm - Heneghan Wrecking - is familiar with the hospital, as WBEZ points out.

Heneghan’s the same crew the hospital hired to remove the loose contents of the buildings,

according to court records. And the same outfit that reportedly removed some of these items by throwing them out broken windows.

Urban Remains had contracted with Heneghan’s to salvage its pick of the mid-century modern furniture — great brands like Herman Miller and Thonet. The owner of the store said there was a lot of miscommunication about what they were allowed to take at first - the crews thought they had carte blanche.

There were some items removed that shouldn’t have been, like the Michael Reese statue and sconces.

Following an outcry over the historic items, they were returned and are in “safe hands.”

No word on when the final bids are due.