Mercy Hospital as shown in a circa 1910 postcard. Located on Chicago’s near South Side along the north side of 26th Street, between Calumet and Prairie avenues, the hospital has received a great deal of attention since the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV in May 2025. Prevost was born at the hospital on September 14, 1955 to Louis and Mildred (Martinez) Prevost.
The hospital dates back to 1850 and had various locations in downtown before moving to Calumet Avenue in 1863. The large building shown above was completed in 1870 and provided valuable service following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, as it was located well outside the burnt district. Two additions along 26th Street (visible at far left) were added in the 1890s, and another addition on Prairie Avenue (not visible) was completed in 1908.
Notable events at the hospital include the death of Marshall Field, Jr. under mysterious circumstances on November 27, 1905; the treatment of former President Theodore Roosevelt following an assassination attempt in October 1912; and the birth of former Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley on April 24, 1942.
In 1968, the buildings shown above were all demolished upon completion of the new $26 million, 517-bed complex designed by C. F. Murphy, located immediately to the west, along the south side of the Stevenson Expressway. The hospital changed ownership in 2021 and now operates as Insight Hospital and Medical Center.