Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1978 [PAGE 426]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1977]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

415

Transfer of Property from the Medical Center Commission and Contract for Demolition of St. Mary's School and Auditorium Buildings, Medical Center (38) A one-block area within the Medical Center district, Chicago, is reconirmended for acquisition by the University. T h e property is bounded by Taylor. Street, Grenshaw Street, Seeley Avenue, and Hoyne Avenue and is owned by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (St. M a r y ' s ) — t w o vacant lots and a convent building; and by the Medical Center Commission — a vacated school 1 and auditorium formerly owned by St. Mary's, three residential buildings, and some vacant lots. O n August 19, 1977, the Medical Center Commission agreed to give t h e University the land that it owns in this block, provided the University demolishes the school and auditorium buildings. T h e Medical Center Commission will d e molish the residential buildings. T h e property will be used, for additional parking required for the School of Public Health at 2121 West Taylor Street and to provide a recreational area, which includes a jogging track, picnic area, and unimproved playing fields. I n addition, the property would provide, on a long-range basis, a potential building site along a main east/west arterial street of the Medical Center campus. Until this future use is identified, parking and recreational facilities will be improved as funds become available. T h e convent and lots owned by St. Mary's now are leased to the University for the use of the School of Public Health. It is planned to negotiate for the purchase of this property. T h e convent building would continue to be used for the School of Public Health. The president of the University, with the concurrence of appropriate administrative officers, recommends that the comptroller and the secretary of the board be authorized to execute the necessary documents to accomplish the transfer to the University of the property as outlined above, and further recommends the award of a contract for $59,425 to E & E Hauling, Inc., Bloomingdale, the low bidder, for demolition, site clearance, and grading of the St. Mary's school and auditorium buildings. Funds for the demolition work are available from the budget of the Physical Plant Department at the Medical Center campus. T h e student advisory vote was: Aye, Miss Conlon, M r . Overstreet, Miss Winter; no, none. O n motion of Miss Conlon, authority was given as recommended, and the contract was awarded by the following vote: Aye, M r . Forsyth, M r . H a h n , M r . Howard, M r . Lenz, M r . Neal, Mrs. Rader, M r . Velasquez; no, n o n e ; absent, Mrs. Shepherd, Governor Thompson. M r . Livingston asked to be recorded as not voting. Acceptance of Gift and Waiver of Liability, Urbana (39) T h e John Deere Company has offered to donate to the University certain display equipment, including a mock-up tractor body, a model showing different shift quadrants, and a control island. T h e items would be utilized by the Department of Agricultural Engineering at the Urbana campus. T h e department hais indicated that it would add this equipment to its teaching laboratories and to

1 St. Mary's High School was vacated in the summer of 1976. The University has surveyed the building and determined that, due to the advanced deterioration, it would not be economically feasible to repair.