People with an interest in Chicago’s history and urban fabric are often captivated by the number of tunnels – abandoned and otherwise – beneath the city.
While it is often safely assumed that the majority of these subterranean fascinations are in the greater Loop area, tunnels do pop up in other places.
Rendering of the Children’s Memorial Hospital redevelopment (Courtesy of McCaffery Interests)
One recent discovery is that of a tunnel beneath the former Nellie Black building, now known as Belmont Village as it’s part of the redevelopment of Children’s Memorial Hospital in Lincoln Park.
In the latest construction update from Lincoln Common, it states that an abandoned section of tunnel at the Nellie Black site will be filled in this week.
The work won’t leave the site entirely tunnel-less. There will still be a tunnel running underneath West Fullerton Street, connecting Belmont Village to the new loading dock area across the street, so that Belmont Village doesn’t have to have its own dock.
Diagram of the tunnel that will remain to connect Belmont Village with the rest of Lincoln Common
