History

Mary Potter's vision manifested itself in America in 1893, when three Little Company of Mary Sisters, Mother Patrick, Sister Veronica and Sister Philomena, came to Chicago from Rome at the request of Charles Mair, a Chicago civic leader.

His support came in gratitude for the care his ailing wife had received from the Little Company of Mary Sisters while she vacationed in Rome. He built a convent for them at 4130 South Indiana Avenue. Mr. Mair even provided magnificent stained glass windows for their chapel.

That convent was eventually sold when the Sisters moved to a larger residence. The old convent chapel now houses the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, under the direction of the Reverend Lou Rawls. The original stained glass windows have recently been relocated to the Hospital. Seven of the windows adorn our Heritage Corridor, located at the original, 1930 entrance to the Hospital. The remaining windows will decorate the soon-to-be-remodeled Regional Cancer Center.

The early Sisters traveled to the homes of the sick on Chicago's south side, providing nursing care, spiritual support and other assistance as needed. The Sisters soon found that there were many more people than they were able to care for. They were hindered by a lack of equipment and the limits of geography and travel. They needed to build a hospital...but where?

Their trust in divine providence and a certain sense of risk were tested when they acquired a tract of land in Evergreen Park, Illinois. The property was isolated and swampy, but it was all they could afford in the midst of the Depression.

The Sisters realized their dream on January 19, 1930, when a four-story, 150-bed hospital opened on that isolated property. Little Company of Mary Sisters, supported by 12 physicians, made up the entire staff when the hospital opened.

Nicknamed the "Baby Hospital"

Since opening in 1930, more than 200,000 babies have entered the world at Little Company of Mary, earning it the nickname the "Baby Hospital."

First Human Organ Transplant

The Hospital took its place in the history books in 1950 when Drs. Richard Lawler, James West and Raymond Murphy performed the first human organ transplant in the world. This successful kidney replacement allowed the patient to enjoy quality of life for the next four and one-half years. In 1996, the British Broadcasting System featured the story of this medical event in a four hour documentary, "Knife to the Heart," which told the history of transplant surgery.

Historical Highlights

1930- Little Company of Mary Hospital and School of Nursing established in Evergreen Park

1943- Nursing residence opened

1949- Five additional floors added to original Tower Building

1950- Drs. Lawler, West and Murphy perform first successful human organ transplant

1960- Cobalt Unit, a gift of the Auxiliary, opened

• 132 beds added in new addition that included chapel, medical, surgical and psychiatric beds and administrative office

1963- Medical Intensive Care Unit opened, which is one of the first in the nation

1964- Surgical Intensive Care opened

1966- Cardiac Intensive Care opened

1968- Mayor and Mrs. Richard J. Daley attended opening of the Education Building

1971- Senator Ted Kennedy attended opening of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

1972- Linear Accelerator installed

1977- Little Company of Mary Sisters celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation

1980- Little Company celebrated 50 years of service

• Birthing Rooms opened

1984- South Pavilion opened, adding 100 private rooms and space for Radiology, Laboratory, Admitting and Emergency Departments

1985- Care Station opened

1987- Adult Day Care opened

• Cardiac Catheterization Lab opens, providing new diagnostic capabilities
• Home Health Equipment Center opens

1988- Cancer Center dedicated

• Little Company became Little Company of Mary Hospital and Health Care Centers

1990- Little Company celebrated 60 years of service

• Women's Wellness Resource Center opened
• Pediatric Critical Care opened
• Cafe 95 (cafeteria) opened
• Mobile Medical Care began

1991- Chemical dependency unit opened and dedicated to Dr. James West

1993- Mary Potter Physicians Pavilion dedicated

• Home Based Services Building opened

1996- Chicago Ridge Health Education Center opened

• Osteoporosis Center opened in Mary Potter Pavilion
• Breast Health Center opens

1998- Evergreen Plaza Health Education Center opened

• New One-Day Surgery unit opened adjacent to Hospital's original main lobby
• Monsignor O'Brycki Physical Therapy Center dedicated

1999- Original stained glass windows from Sisters' first convent on 41st Street and Indiana relocated to Hospital Portico

• Wound Healing Center dedicated
• Ground breaking held for The Cancer Center
• Little Company is the site for Chicago area's first spinal laminectomy equipment
• The Cancer Center begins treating patients on an outpatient basis and becomes affiliated with the Medical Oncology Group of the University of the Chicago Hospitals

2000- New Cancer Center and main entrance complete

• Cardiovascular Program enters C-PORT Trial with Johns Hopkins University

2001- Cancer Center Dedication

• Little Company of Mary Diagnostic Center opened
• The Adult Day Center receives a new permanent home in the Heritage Building
• The Bariatric Surgery Center opens, the first bariatric surgery is performed in the Southwest suburbs
• Evergreen Plaza Health Education Center relocates to the Hospital

2002- The LCM Sisters celebrate 125 of providing health care around the world

2003- The Diabetes Center is dedicated

2004- Halsted Medical Center Opens

• The Emergency Department was renovated and blessed
• Little Company of Mary celebrates the birth of its 200,000th baby, more than any other hospital in the Southwest suburbs