COVID-19 memorial and park open in the Illinois Medical District

A memorial to the COVID-19 pandemic opened Tuesday in the Illinois Medical District on Chicago’s Near West Side, with city leaders, health care workers and residents gathering for the ribbon cutting.^{1, 2}

The monument sits in a small park in the triangle formed by Ogden Avenue, Damen Avenue and Polk Street, across from the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.^{1, 2} The site had been vacant, ABC7 Chicago reported.²

The COVID-19 Monument Commission, a volunteer-led Chicago group, produced the memorial after more than a year of work.² The project received $4.95 million in funding and grant support, according to ABC7.²

The design

The commission chose the design through an international competition, ABC7 reported.² Its concept came from Casey Schachner, an associate professor of art at Georgia Southern University, CBS Chicago reported.¹

The sculptures combine the shape of the coronavirus with a dandelion puff.¹ Three illuminated stainless steel dandelion stalks stand for honor, remembrance and resilience, rising from a circular medallion that honors those who died and the health care and essential workers who served.^{1, 2} Five benches, each dedicated to a continent, carry an etched silver globe.¹

“In March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world,” said Dr. Sally Metzler, who chairs the commission.¹ She said the design turns “an image of illness into one of hope, resilience, and rebirth,” and that the globes are a reminder that “no one was untouched by the pandemic,” according to CBS.¹

What officials said

Walter “Red” Burnett, the 27th Ward alderperson, said the pandemic attacked people’s ability to gather, “the fundamental thing that makes us human,” CBS reported.¹ He described the park as a place for the mental health of frontline workers and patients.¹

Allyson Hansen, chief executive and executive director of the Illinois Medical District Commission, invited the public to use the space.² “This is your park, come often, find a moment of peace and make it your own,” she said, according to ABC7.²

About the district

The Illinois Medical District, established in 1941, includes Stroger Hospital of Cook County, University of Illinois Health, Rush University Medical Center and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center.^{1, 2} Officials said the memorial is the district’s first public park since the Louis Pasteur Monument was moved from Grant Park to Harrison Street outside the old Cook County Hospital 80 years ago.¹