River North in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Site of the First Rush Medical College

Photographed by Sean Flynn, June 25, 2024

1. Site of the First Rush Medical College Marker

Inscription. Site of the first
Rush Medical College
(Est. 1837)
Building destroyed in the
Great Chicago Fire
1871

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1837.

Location. 41° 53.481′ N, 87° 37.77′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in River North. It is on North Dearborn Street south of West Grand Avenue. The marker faces west on the southern edge of the building, near Corey's NYC Bagel Deli. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 515 North Dearborn Street, Chicago IL 60654, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within walking distance of this marker: William D. Boyce (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named William D. Boyce (within shouting distance of this marker); Courthouse Plaza (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tree Studios (about 600 feet away); Former Chicago Historical Society Building (about 800 feet away); Pizzeria Uno (about 800 feet away); Chicago Varnish Company Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chicago Varnish Company Buliding (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. Rush University has offices across Grand Avenue from this building.

Regarding Site of the First Rush Medical College. Rush Medical College (predecessor to the institution today known as Rush University Medical Center) occupied the area near Dearborn Street and Grand Avenue from 1843 until it was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. After the Fire, Rush rebuilt west of downtown at Harrison and Wood streets, so as to be closer to the Cook County Hospital; Rush's primary facilities remain there today.

Also see . . .
1. History of Rush University.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, June 25, 2024

2. Site of the First Rush Medical College Marker

Some modern Rush University offices, across Grand Avenue, can be seen on the far left side of this photo. The current building houses Corey's NYC Bagel Deli.

From Rush University's website

Excerpt: "In 1837, the Illinois state legislature chartered RUSH Medical College, just two days before the city of Chicago was incorporated. The school was founded by Daniel Brainard, MD, a distinguished surgeon and scientific investigator, and was named for Benjamin Rush, MD, a physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence. ... RUSH Medical College awarded David Jones Peck, MD, a doctor of medicine degree in 1847, making him the first African-American man to receive this distinction from an American medical school."

(Submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Rush Medical College. From Chicagology, a look at the early history of Rush Medical College. (Submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. Faculty and Students of Rush Medical College in the ruins of the college after Great Chicago Fire. From the Explore Chicago Collections, a photo of students and professors standing atop the ruins of what was once the Rush Medical College at Dearborn and Grand.

Caption: "At the time of the Great Chicago Fire, October 1871,
Photographed by Sean Flynn, June 25, 2024

3. Site of the First Rush Medical College
The plaque on the left is for the American Medical Society, which is located in this building.
Rush Medical College stood at Grand Avenue and Indiana Street (now Grand and Dearborn.) The Rush Medical College building was destroyed completely in the Great Chicago Fire. Students had just completed their first week of courses the Friday before the Fire. After the Fire, Rush Medical College relocated to the West Side of Chicago to be near Cook County Hospital, which had just moved to Harrison and Wood Streets. Rush opened a new building on the northeast corner of the intersection in 1875. Today’s Rush University Medical Center campus still borders Wood Street and spreads east."

(Submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Rush Medical College before and after the Fire image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of British Library, circa 1892

4. Rush Medical College before and after the Fire

These before and after photos, from the archives of the British Library, are from an 1892 book titled The Story of Chicago, by Joseph Kirkland, which looked at the Fire's impact around the city.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 188 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 25, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.