This post is going to deviate a bit in that it's not in Atlanta, however, when I got to see this beautiful building, I knew I had to post about it. I have not omitted the hospital's real name, as it's no secret. With a
documentary recently made, as well as a
group created to attempt to save the hospital. It may be best for Charity's story to get all the exposure it can. The security is tough, and the building is partially active; it's not worth trying to get in.
"Charity Hospital was founded in
1732 when Jean Louis, a French seaman and merchant who made New Orleans his
home in the New World, died, leaving his entire estate to “establish and
maintain a hospital for the poor people of New Orleans.”
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| Looking down the stairway on the 19th floor |
By the time the Civil War began in
1860, Charity was one of the largest hospitals in the world, able to
accommodate 1,000 patients at a time. The hospital remained open during the
war, caring for soldier from both armies.
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| Samples preserved in formalin |
Charity Hospital has been such a
fact of life in its present location for so long, that today New Orleanians
often think it has always been there and always been the same. But in fact the
hospital has been located in six different main buildings if four different
locations during its 260+ years.
By the early 1930s, the old
facility was crowded and out of date. Louisiana’s populist Governor Huey P.
Long made it a priority of his administration to build a fine, new hospital
facility that would equal or better any other in the country.
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| One of the many hallways with power |
When the present building ... was completed in 1939, the total bed capacity was 3,330, making Charity
the second largest hospital in the United States. It is also one of only a
handful that serves the education and research needs of two medical schools."
- Excerpt from a pamphlet detailing the hospital's history and facilities
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| Each floor was a different color. This was the red floor. |
Hurricane Katrina hit the hospital in 2005, but only affected the main floor and basement. Many employees of the hospital stayed through the storm to tend to patients, even after the power failed. Subsequently, the hospital was closed due to the water damage.
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| Samples to be disposed of |
It was then scrubbed by a team of 150 military and healthcare professionals to bring the building up to medical standards, but right before the building was ready to open, Governor Blanco stopped it.
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| Forgotten brain images |
Instead, a new hospital was built and Charity was abandoned. Today Charity sits locked, but not abandoned. The power is on, huge fans run on most floors to combat water damage. 24 hour security stays onsite amidst countless cameras, next to a sign that warns of K-9 patrols within the building. Inside, everything is just as it was left.
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| A table of microscopes outside of a lab |
Bodies were cleared, but medical records remain. The people of New Orleans have fought back to save the building, however there are currently no future plans for Charity.
Until next time! -Turtl & Bloody
