Mercy Home for Boys & Girls was founded in 1887, and now 123 years and more than 22,000 children later, At-Risk 11-21+ year olds from dysfunctional and chaotic domestic situations continue to find shelter and hope in one of Mercy Home’s fourteen residential facilities.  At the Girls Campus in Chicago’s Beverly community, young women find safe haven, learn invaluable life skills, and receive individual and family therapy to help permanently correct emotional and behavioral barriers to healthy life development. 

McKay Landscape Architects, with McBride, Kelley, Baurer Architects, created a sacred, memorial space to be enjoyed and shared by residents of the Mercy Home for Girls as well as those in the nearby community.  A contemplative and meditative plaza with serene and calming water features, and a quiet sitting garden enables girls and members of the neighborhood to interact, relax, and share.  Women and girls of all ages can also enjoy the names of mothers, grandmothers, and friends etched into the bricks and on the memorial wall surrounding, connecting to the deep tradition of females before them.