On Sunday , Oct. 8 , 1871 , at 9:40 p.m. , a fire alarm was sounded in a Chicago pharmacy , the alert of the Great Chicago Fire . Lasting two days , the fire 's wrath ravaged through 34 city blocks and destroyed nearly 20,000 buildings , including the Chicago College of Pharmacy . Corresponding College Secretary and alumnus Albert Ebert began rallying support from colleagues around the world to help rebuild the College and restock its bookshelves and laboratories . Its reopening heralded a class of 37 students in the fall semester of 1872
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
UIC College of Pharmacy