In 1927 yet another extension to the hospital was completed, further growing the capacity the hospital would eventually accommodate 300 beds at its peak after the multiple additions and updates. The additional wing would add 150 beds and allow the building to also house the Gary Works Hospital, which had previously been located at the plant. In 1918 the Gary Land Company donated a parcel of land next door to allow the hospital to expand. Mary’s would continue to grow with numerous additions made over the years. Mary’s Mercy Hospital was finally opened.Ī first-class building when opened, the facility was rated class A by the American Hospital Association. They completed the fundraising for the Bishop and by December of 1914 the new St. In 1913 regional cleric Bishop Alerding called in the order of Ancilli Domini ( Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ) to finish construction of the hospital. L-to-R: kitchen, office (1924), patient ward. Mary’s Mercy Hospital, 1919 (Click thumbnails to enlarge) However by 1912 the Franciscan sisters would run out of funds, leaving the building unfinished and in search of another suitor. Francis decided to expand the hospital, and soon construction began on a five-story rectangular brick building on the corner of West 6th Avenue and Tyler Street (above). Initially, it would have just 20 beds.Īs the town grew, the need for larger facilities quickly became apparent. The medical center would begin life as four crudely-equipped private residences connected via walkways. Francis founded what would later become known as St. When Gary was founded in 1906, the steel company did not initially plan for adequate medical facilities. * Fundraising ad shows planned design for St. Today, the remaining structures have deteriorated and are likely beyond repair. Several attempts were made to reuse the building–including the moving of the city’s police department into the newest wing–but half of the complex was never re-appropriated and left vacant. The debt-ridden facility endured a slow and painful contraction before finally closing in 1995. But when the fortunes of Gary turned and the citizens fled, the hospital became economically superfluous the reduced population base could not financially support operations. Mary’s Mercy Hospital would see multiple additions and renovations over the years while it expanded to accommodate the city’s growing number of residents. ![]() In the final installment of the Gary series, we take a look at the skeleton of a healthcare organization founded over one hundred years ago.
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