One day after a 16-year-old boy fell to his death from a second-floor window of the old Ravenswood Hospital, the owner of the vacant building said he received a permit “to secure or take down the fire escape that police said the boy used to sneak into the structure.” While a welcome development, it may be a case of too little too late.

In the Chicago Tribune report, Lycee Francais, which purchased the property in November 2011, also said it has applied for a permit to demolish the entire building.

The old hospital, at 1931 W. Wilson Ave. in Chicago, had been an eyesore and a danger since it was closed and sold in 2002. When it was purchased, Lycée Français announced plans to build a new French-language elementary and high school on the site by 2015.

Neighbors continually complained that the vacant building has been a hangout for kids. Along with broken windows and unsecured entrances, which allowed teens to gain easy access, photographs taken during an earlier inspection show signs of trespassing, graffiti on interior walls, and broken windows.

In March of this year, the city issued a 15-day notice to the building’s owners to correct the code violations. After securing the building, the city’s Law Department declined to take them to court.

Now, questions likely will focus on the parties responsible for the boy’s death. Should his parents have warned their child to stay away? Was the vacant building on Wilson Ave. a “public nuisance threatening the health, morals, safety, comfort, convenience, or welfare of the community?” Or, could it be considered “an attractive nuisance containing hazardous conditions that may attract the attention of children who don’t understand the risk involved?”

Certainly, the City’s building department, legal advisors on all sides, and the boy’s parents anxiously await the answer to those questions.