In Pictures: Old Ronald McDonald House Demolition
By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 24, 2012 7:00PM
Chicagoist Flickr Pool Contributor Rotating Frame shared these photos of the demolition of the old Ronald McDonald House at 622 W. Deming Pl. Ronald McDonald Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana moved into a brand new building at 211 E. Grand in Streeterville, a few blocks from the new Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
In January the Commission on Chicago Landmarks overwhelmingly approved a demolition permit for the mansion, which sits in the heart of the Arlington-Deming landmark district. The earliest buildings in this district were built shortly after the Great Chicago Fire.
Ronald McDonald Charities used the Deming mansion, which was blocks from the old Children's Memorial Hospital, as a house from 1977 until the ribbon cutting ceremony on the new 14-story building in June. The mansion's owner, Chicago-based printing company Newsweb Corp., announced in November 2011 they would split the property into two lots and build new residential developments. Newsweb chief Fred Eychaner lives across the street from the Deming mansion.