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A. The hospital stands at 1515 Lafayette Avenue, near the corner of 14th Street and Lafayette Avenue, just south of downtown St. Louis.
A. The city's Department of Health and Hospitals did name the City Hospital the "Max C. Starkloff Memorial Hospital" in honor of a prominent late 19th century city health commissioner. However, few official records or newspaper articles refer to the hospital by that name. The Homer G. Phillips Hospital (City Hospital #2) was a separate institution and is located at 2601 Whittier Street in north city. The Malcolm Bliss Psychiatric Center was located in a building at the City Hospital complex, and started as a unit of the hospital until the State of Missouri assumed control in 1948.
A. Parts of the City Hospital have been torn down: the 14-story Tower Building, the Snodgrass Laboratory, a large one-story addition from 1971, the Malcolm A. Bliss Psychiatric Center building and the oldest building on the site, the 1898 "E" Building. Nine buildings, dating from 1907 to 1940, remain and are under renovation for various uses. The landmark Administration Building (completed 1910) is slated to open in spring 2005 as a condominium building. There are no definite dates for completion of renovation work at the other buildings.
A. Yes. The State of Missouri granted eligibility status in 1995 after Michael Allen presented a draft nomination. The listing was completed and federally certified in 2001 by Lynn Josse for the Landmarks Association.
A. There are no official records of this ever happening. Such rumors are common to old, abandoned institutional buildings like the City Hospital, but rarely accord with reality. The scariest story from the City Hospital's history is that of a rape that did take place there in 1984 while the hospital was still in operation -- a story that sadly has received little attention (check back with this website as we plan to uncover more information).
A. Yes. In fall 1992, the St. Louis police discovered that thieves were operating a "chop shop" in the City Hospital ambulance garage. A chop shop is a place where stolen cars are pillaged for their parts.
A. This is a good question, and the answer seems to be "no." Michael Allen once visited the Land Reutilization Authority and the Board of Public Service’s Buildings Division to track down details of any documentation of unusual contamination on the site. No employees at either city agency knew of any credible evidence. The site did contain minor contamination from decaying asbestos insulation, chipping lead paint and underground fuel tanks—common for an abandoned site and hardly severe. The city removed any radioactive x-ray equipment from the hospital around the time of its closure.
A. The original hospital opened on July 10, 1845. The hospital closed in June 1985, although the Clinic remained open for one year afterwards and the Malcolm Bliss Psychiatric Center occupied a building in the complex until it moved to new quarters at the State Hospital (5400 Arsenal Street) in December 1992.
A. Maybe.
A. After closing, the city sold the hospital to the Pantheon Corporation in 1986, except for the Power Plant building that was sold separately to Trigen Energy Corporation. Neither owner carried out any restoration work, and both ended up selling their property back to the city's Land Reutilization Authority in 1992. The hospital now belongs to the Saint Louis City Hospital Redevelopment Corporation, a development group.
A. As far as we know, the developers who own the hospital have not let anyone tour the buildings.
A. The program awarded a degree.
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