Week 4

Most of this week was spent working on the write-up of the foundation's history.  I also spent some time verifying the accuracy of some of the information I found last week, especially information about Henrotin Hospital.  I was able to find an old picture of Henrotin Hospital, most likely from around the time it opened:

The hospital was located in Washington Square Park (hence, the name of the current foundation) pictured below, with Newberry Library in the background.

To continue with the foundation's history-- after the hospital closed, there was debate as to what to do with the new foundation that had been formed.  After making the decision to convert from a public to a private foundation, the members of the foundation's board decided to continue the hospital's mission by giving grants to other hospitals and foundations in Chicago.  The first chairman of the board, James Lutz, had many ideas that provided the basis for the foundation today.

Lutz was born in Germany, and immigrated to the U.S. as a young man with $11 in his pocket.  He acquired a low-paying job working in a Sears warehouse, and eventually worked his way up in the company.  At one point, he began working for Montgomery Ward in Chicago.  His connection with Henrotin Hospital began when Montgomery Ward was looking for a hospital for employees to use.  He maintained his connection with the hospital for many years, and was appointed chairman of the foundation upon its formation.  The position of chairman has since been eliminated, but there have been several foundation presidents in the past 25 years that will be discussed in future posts.

The foundation today is still considered to be an extension of Henrotin Hospital, but is now located in an office a few blocks away.  Below is a picture of the foundation's board room in the John Hancock building.

That's all for now, looking forward to seeing what next week will bring!