Old Deaconess Hospital

There's not much left of the original facade of the old Deaconess Hospital on Oakland Avenue, slated for demolition if the sale of the property to the zoo proceeds.

There is still this nice nurses' wing, I believe, that could be reused by the zoo. It looks like it's in good shape, and has architectural merit.

My favorite part of the hospital is the row of three nurse statues that line the corridor that links the hospital with the west wing above.

The rest of the hospital site is definitely looking worse for wear. The glass box office building, to be saved for the zoo's expansion, is still in good condition.

It's a shame the building is being torn down, but I must say that I believe the zoo would be a good steward of the property. Forest Park lost many, many acres of land to Highway 40, and I see no reason why the park can't spread south a little, into space that has been institutional for close to a century. Less surface parking would be nice, if the zoo could alter its plans for the site.

And the saving of the two iconic towers would be a welcome sign from the zoo as well.

City Hospital Power Plant, Reinvisioned

I can't say enough positive words about the renovation of the old City Hospital power plant into a bouldering facility, envisioned by two brothers and I think some of their friends.

Left as a ruin when the City Hospital was abandoned, the power plant is a landmark on the near south side.

The interior, while stripped of the bulky boilers that once filled the room, still contains some nice elements alluding to its industrial past, such as a giant gantry crane that still hangs over the lobby.

Below you can see several angles of the artificial "rock wall" that climbers can now tackle in the renovated space.

More Collapse at St. Mary's Infirmary?

I can't tell for sure, but it looks like there might have been a little more collapse at St. Mary's Infirmary. I may be wrong, but it doesn't look good, if at the least in the long run.

St. Mary's Infirmary

I don't have much to say about the long-suffering St. Mary's Infirmary on Papin Street on the near South side. Stripped of all of its historical context, it sits vacant, and rapidly deteriorating a block from Chouteau Avenue.

I expect that it will be unceremoniously knocked down at the behest of AmerenUE some day in the next couple of years.

Plans for its conversion to condos seems to have died with the real estate bubble bursting.

A back wall has collapsed, and the evidence of spalling inside the wall on the east side of the building was apparent when viewed last week.

I'm afraid I'm going to drive by one day and see that the entire east wall has fallen off of the building.

Shortly thereafter, the news media, hungry for another story that supports their narrative that the city is falling apart, will report that an emergency demolition has commenced.

And one last vestige of one of the oldest parts of the cit will be gone forever.

See pictures of the interior, from several years ago, here.

Here is my post from three years ago of the same building; sadly nothing has changed except for the worse.

St. Vincent's Hospital

I spotted the roofline of what looked to be a Romanesque and Gothic castle recently, and after a search on Google Maps, I found out what this large, majestic building was.Closed decades ago, it is now low-income apartments. I had trouble getting a good shot, but you can see a more proficient view of the entire building here.Owned by the Daughters of Charity, the asylum began downtown and moved out to what was then the country in the 1890's. Read more about the building from its National Register nomination.The Daughters of Charity also ran nearby Marillac College, which I featured earlier this year, which is due north of the old hospital, across what is now St. Vincent's Park, which I suspect was owned by the Sisters as well.I found it interesting that there is the 1930 Census on file for the hospital, or as they called it back then, a sanitarium.I was saddened about the current condition of the building, which is beginning to show the age of its renovation in the early 1980's.Likewise, it is isolated, up a narrow suburban street, and I wonder about its long term viability. We talked to a couple of residents, and they were not happy with their living conditions.

St. Louis County Lunatic Asylum

This mental health facility once served St. Louis County, long ago before the city seceded.

St. Mary's Concordia Hall Facing the Wrecking Ball, Clayton

Having learned about the impending demolition of the historic Concordia Hall at Vanishing St. Louis, I rushed over on Friday to get some pictures. Demolition was well underway, and with an apparent gusto.I like this building; it's simple, but elegant, and even the damage caused already by Ahrens Demolition can't hide it simple, beautiful design.The little coat of arms, made out of colored brick, is a nice touch. Sadly, it will be gone soon.Ahrens men stand around admiring their colleagues' handiwork. One thing that is surprising about the demolition is the distance the wrecking ball was being swung out over Clayton Road. While demolishing the San Luis, they were much more conservative with their swings.Below are two videos of the destruction; the first one shows how quickly the poor building is coming down, and the second one show the headache ball stuck in the roof of the building.

City Mental Hospital in the Snow

St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria, Illinois

This massive medical campus dominates the hill above downtown Peoria. See it from the air here.