South Loop in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

George Smith Memorial Building

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 28, 2025

1. George Smith Memorial Building Marker

Inscription. This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1905.

Location. 41° 51.772′ N, 87° 37.434′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in South Loop. It is on Michigan Avenue 0.1 miles south of 14th Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1439 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago IL 60605, 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 are within walking distance of this marker: 20th Century Healthcare: St. Luke's Hospital (about 300 feet away, measured in a

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direct line); South Michigan Ave. Motor Row (about 400 feet away); (Former) Engine Company 104, Truck 31 (about 400 feet away); Old St. Mary Church (about 500 feet away); Hotel Somerset (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Blues Trail: Mississippi to Chicago (approx. 0.4 miles away); Central Station Fragments (approx. 0.4 miles away); George Pullman (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Regarding George Smith Memorial Building. This 1906 building, designed by architect Charles Frost, is the oldest remaining building from the St. Luke's Hospital complex that covered a large part of this area between Michigan and Indiana Avenues on Chicago's near south side. In 1956, St. Luke's merged with Presbyterian Hospital to form Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital, and shortly thereafter moved its operations to Presybterian's building on the west side of Chicago. Presbyterian-St. Luke's merged with Rush Unviersity in 1969; that merged organization was renamed Rush University Medical Center in 2003. This former George Smith building was converted in 1996 into a condo complex called Trevi Square. It appears that

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 28, 2025

2. George Smith Memorial Building Marker

the entire St. Luke's Hospital Complex, including this building, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The building is named after Scottish-born George "Chicago" Smith, a Scottish settler who came to Chicago in 1833 (the year it was first incorporated as a town) and over the next three decades amassed a fortune in real estate and banking. He returned to Scotland in 1860; when he died there in 1899, he bequeathed part of his fortune to his nephew, James Henry "Silent" Smith. Silent Smith donated about $500,000 to St. Luke's to build this building, and dedicated it to his uncle.

Also see . . .
1. St. Luke's Hospital institutional records. St. Luke's archives are held by Rush University Medical Center, which traces its origins to a merger of Rush University with Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital. (Submitted on March 4, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Findagrave: George "Chicago" Smith. George Smith left Chicago in 1860 and spent the final four decades of his life in Scotland and England. He died in 1899 in London and is buried in Elgin, Scotland. (Submitted on March 4, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, February 28, 2025

3. George Smith Memorial Building Marker

St. Luke's Hospital image. Click for full size.

Kaufmann & Fabry Company; courtesy of Chicago History Museum (ICHi-024759), circa 1920

4. St. Luke's Hospital

The George Smith building is the oldest remaining building from the St. Luke's Hospital complex that was along Michigan and Indiana Avenues on Chicago's south side.

George Smith Memorial brochure image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of Chicago History Museum (ICHi-050730), 1906

5. George Smith Memorial brochure

This brochure from St. Luke's Hospital's board of trustees, apparently dating to around the time of the building's opening in 1906, describes the features of the George R. Smith Building. "For weeks that have grown into months, and months into years, the casual passerby has been the unconscious witness to the crystallization of a new idea. Today it stands as a radical departure from all accepted forms. Precedent has had little influence, except as a danger signal from which to turn, in the construction of the 'George Smith Memorial,' the new building which forms a part of the new St. Luke's Hospital."

Credits. This page was last revised on March 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 3, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 543 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 3, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 5. submitted on March 4, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.