Friday, November 12, 2010

Postcard Friendship Friday

 
Happy PFF--This week I did some searching on the old hospital in Topeka and found out what has happened to it over the years.  So here are some more pictures and the story of what has become of it.  A big thank you to Beth at http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/ for hosting this every week. 

There were many hospitals up and down the line on the Santa Fe Railroad.  If you would like to find out more about them and see the old postcards that are shown go to http://railwaysurgery.org/Hospitals.htm.  Here is Santa Fe Hospital, Topeka , KS, built 1898-99. The picture above is the original building.

If you compare this view  with the one above, you can see there has been a new wing added.


Santa Fe Hospital, Topeka , KS. Compared to the previous picture, the add-on wing is intact
but in 1953 the original 1898-99 building was demolished and replaced with the new building on the left. Note the cars in the parking lot.


Yet another addition has been built over the site of the parking lot. Postmarked 1971.


 The following I found on the internet telling about the old hospital in Topeka now:

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Sep 23, 2003 by Steve Fry Capital-Journal


  A redevelopment project that has cost $7 million so far has turned the old Memorial Hospital at 600 S.E. Madison into the Santa Fe Place Senior Apartments. All but one of the 91 apartments is occupied.
Don Cooper, vice president of operations and development for the Commercial Group, talks about the variety of floor plans at Santa Fe Place.


The building's railroad heritage shows in the Santa Fe logos above the drinking fountains.
 



Santa Fe Hospital, Ft. Madison, IA


One more picture - this is the old ATSF hospital in Ft. Madison, Iowa, a town we lived in in the late 50's and early 60's.  I don't remember it and I don't think it was in service then.  The only hospital I remember there was the Catholic hospital.     (Click to enlarge)

4 comments:

  1. The old hospital is nicer to look at but guess the new one is better for modern medicine.

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  2. The railroad certainly took care of its employees and their families. Interesting history here.

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  3. Well, I must say I prefer the look of the old hospital, but who knows, maybe our coming generations will be mourning the loss of the newer architecture.

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