St. Louis City Hospital
Fire, tornado, epidemic and abandonment could not quite kill St. Louis's great public hospital.
The former St. Louis City Hospital
The old City Hospital complex on Lafayette Avenue survived fire, a devastating tornado, decades of public medicine and years of abandonment before finding a new life.
The Story
St. Louis established City Hospital in the 1840s as the city struggled with rapid growth and epidemic disease. The first hospital burned in 1856. Its replacement was destroyed by the Great Cyclone of 1896, forcing the city to rebuild yet again.
The later complex grew into a sprawling public medical campus with its own power plant, laundry and specialized facilities. For generations it treated patients who depended on the city's public-health system.
City Hospital closed in 1985. After years of abandonment and demolition threats, the surviving historic buildings were redeveloped, turning a place associated with illness and institutional decay into residences and other uses.
What Remains Today
Major portions of the historic City Hospital complex survive at 1515 Lafayette Avenue, including the former main hospital building, now adapted as The Georgian.
Visiting Information
The surviving buildings are largely private residences and other uses. View the exterior from public areas and respect private property.
Location
1515 Lafayette Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63104
Photo Gallery
Watch the Story
Sources
Related Stories
Magical Deserts
Morocco
Exotic Urbanism
Brazil
Misty Mountains
Scotland