(Grahm M. Balkany / Gropius in Chicago Coalition)

The City of Chicago finished demolition on its first building designed by renowned architect and founder of the Bauhaus movement Walter Gropius on the Michael Reese Hospital campus, the Gropius in Chicago Coalition is reporting. The Friend Convalescent Home, one of eight buildings on the Michael Reese campus designed in part by Gropius, was bulldozed this week in spite of the outcry from Gropius fans and preservationists. Architecture critic Lynn Becker, for one, is furious. The site was originally selected for the Olympic Village, but of course, the IOC had other plans. Now, after a quashed proposal for a casino, there are rumors of some sort of housing complex being built on the site, but no actual plan or developer. So why tear everything down? Becker has an idea:

Plain and simple: to end an argument. To destroy Michael Reese lest more people discover its quality and begin asking uncomfortable questions. Scorched earth as an expression of raw power.

The absolutely beautiful grounds, designed by landscape architects Hideo Sasaki and Lester Collins were razed this summer before the IOC even announced the host of the 2016 Olympics. Beware—those images are enough to break even the strongest heart.

The city will be sparing the original 1905 building, and has tentatively agreed to preserve the Gropius-designed Singer Pavilion (though they  are retaining the right to back out of the agreement in the future).