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The Daily Northwestern DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
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Timeline of key events Early 1990s Northwestern administrators begin discussion on how to expand biomedical research capabilities at the Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
January 1995 Former University President Henry Bienen takes office. Bienen and the Board of Trustees specify a vision to build more research facilities at NU’s Chicago Campus.
2003 Wesley Hospital demolished to make way for construction of new Prentice Women’s Hospital. Source: Wikimedia Commons
2007 Prentice moves to its new, state-of-theart building at 250 E. Superior St.
Ongoing NU and local Streeterville groups continue discussions regarding the future of the old Prentice building. Negotiations were productive, with both sides agreeing on most issues.
PRENTICE PENDING The Commission on Chicago Landmarks is expected to decide Thursday whether to recommend landmark status for the former site of Prentice Women’s Hospital, which is owned by Northwestern. The designation would make it harder for NU to demolish the old building to make way for a new research facility. Local preservationists oppose the University’s plan.
In Focus
Prentice site awaits fate Emanuel throws support behind controversial plan to demolish old building
2011 The old Prentice building is vacated.
2012 Anti-demolition groups organize, circulate petitions and lobby for landmark status.
Compiled by Marshall Cohen and Patrick Svitek/ Daily Senior Staffers; Infographic by Christine Nguyen/Daily Senior Staffer
By Susan Du
daily senior staffer
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday endorsed Northwestern’s plan to demolish the old Prentice Women’s Hospital and build a new biomedical research facility, lending one of the most authoritative voices to decades-long discord over the construction project. Emanuel’s endorsement gives more clout to the University’s chances of persuading the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to reject
preservationists’ arguments at its Thursday hearing. If the nine-member panel recommends landmarking Prentice, and the Chicago City Council affirms the evaluation, NU would not be allowed to demolish the building despite owning the land. The University wouldn’t lose only its proposed research facility — NU has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars researching its options for the site and financing a public relations campaign. “If it gets landmarked and we don’t succeed in getting a permit to demolish it, we don’t have a backup plan,” said Eugene Sunshine, NU’s vice president of business and finance. “Our whole dream, our plan, our vision of growing the enterprise that would provide all this extra space for researchers would be knocked off the box before we ever got started.”
The University and the Save Prentice Coalition, a leading opponent of NU’s plan, will make their respective cases Thursday before the commissioners. After a public comment session, the panel will decide whether to recommend landmark status to the Chicago City Council. Emanuel said NU’s plan could help “build a brighter future for our city and its residents,” but stipulated that the University should include a local architect in the design process and follow minority hiring requirements. The Save Prentice Coalition, a network of preservationists against demolishing the hospital, issued a statement Tuesday rebuking Emanuel’s support. “Northwestern says it can only conduct important medical research and create jobs by » See prentice, page 6
Superstorm Sandy impacts lake, NU’s East Coasters By paulina firozi
daily senior staffer
After Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City, N.J., on Monday evening, students at Northwestern continue to feel the effects of the tropical superstorm. Although it originally moved up the coast as a Category 1 hurricane, the storm hit a cold front and was downgraded Monday to a “post-tropical cyclone.” The National Weather Service has issued multiple lakeshore flood warnings since Sunday, warning of “large battering waves,” reaching heights of about 20 to 25 feet due to high winds heading north on Lake Michigan. The Weather Channel reported the storm’s official downgrade does not lessen the potential damage. Almost reaching the 23-foot record set last year, waves in the middle of the lake rose to 20 feet Tuesday, according to The Weather Channel, as a result of winds reaching speeds of 54 mph. Hundreds of miles to the east, millions of people remain without power. Many NU students, especially those from the New York and New Jersey areas, have
families dealing with Sandy directly. Medill freshman Miranda Cawley, from West Islip, N.Y., said she heard about the damages to her house Tuesday. She said her family lives in the first evacuation zone but her parents decided to wait it out because they thought the situation may be similar to Hurricane Irene, which did not cause too much damage. “But by last night the water had come inches from my front stoop,” Cawley said. “We live six feet above sea level. So my parents left to go to my grandmother’s house.” She received a text message from her mother at 5 a.m. EST on Tuesday, but couldn’t reach her family throughout the day due to spotty cell phone service. “It was definitely kind of scary this morning,” Cawley said. “I never thought that their lives were in danger; I was just getting worried. It’s a really stressful situation. I was glad to hear from my dad this afternoon.” She said she was told most of the bottom levels of her home were destroyed and completely flooded, including a garage, laundry room and music room that stores her sister’s instruments.
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“We lost a shed entirely,” she said. “The back yard is completely under water.” SESP junior Jamie Gebhardt, from Allendale, N.J., said although her home has not been badly damaged, her family is without power. “I have been able to call them on their cell phone,” Gebhardt said. “But I don’t want to waste their battery since they may not have power for a few more days.” Engineering Prof. Hani Mahmassani has developed a detailed evacuation plan for families like Cawley’s. He and his graduate students created a procedure for New York residents in the aftermath of the storm, according to an NU news release. They used information about traffic flow, weather hazards and transportation systems and data from their own research of New York traffic management to create the evacuation model. The University has tried to accommodate prospective students from the East Coast by extending the deadline for Early Decision applications to Nov. 7, from the usual deadline of Nov. 1. Christopher Watson, the dean of undergraduate admissions, said school closures and power outages as a result of the storm could affect application
Rafi Letzter/Daily Senior Staffer
SUPER SANDY Waves crash into The Lakefill on Tuesday. High winds from Superstorm Sandy brought some mild effects to the North Shore.
submissions for prospective students. He said the University would consider extending the deadline further for students who continue to be affected as Sandy spreads. Back in Illinois, the City of Evanston sent an email Monday to remind local residents of the weather advisories. The
email explained that Evanston beaches have been closed for swimming and “residents walking on or near the lakefront are asked to heed the warning from the National Weather Service.” The dog beach has also been temporarily closed. paulinafirozi2015@u.northwestern.edu
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