Providence Hospital (Mobile)
Encyclopedia
Providence Hospital is a 349-bed high-rise hospital
in the U.S.
city of Mobile
, Alabama
. The hospital tower was completed in 1987. The building sits at the center of a 277 acres (112.1 ha) campus, it rises approximately 170 feet (51.8 m) and 11 stories. It was designed by noted American architect Bertrand Goldberg
, best known for the Marina City
complex in Chicago
.
. Mobile's first bishop, Michael Portier
, had asked the first four Sisters to come to Mobile in 1841 to care for orphans, following an outbreak of yellow fever
. By 1852 the Sisters were under contract to administer the City Hospital
of Mobile. This ended in 1854 when they resigned from the hospital. Their resignation came during a period of high anti-Catholic sentiment in the city, provoked by the local Know Nothing
political movement. A board of local citizens was formed on August 15, 1854 to build a new hospital for the Sisters. They completed a new 60-bed hospital in 1855 at the intersection of Broad and St. Anthony Streets.
In 1902 the facility moved to a new Mediterranean Revival
structure on an 11 acres (4.5 ha) Springhill Avenue campus. In 1904 they founded the second school of nursing
to be established in Alabama. By the late 1940s the old 100-bed structure had been outgrown and a new building, in front of the old, was started in February 1949. The new 250-bed Modern
-style structure was completed by October 1952.
That structure was also outgrown by the 1980s. The Sisters decided to move the hospital to a 250 acres (101.2 ha) site on the western boundary of the city. Bertrand Goldberg, known for his innovative hospital designs, was hired to design the new $60-million facility. It would be one of the last major hospital complexes designed by his firm. By this time Goldberg had completed a number of other healthcare facilities and had refined his innovative "bed-cluster pod." The pod, with its groups of rooms encircling a central nurse's station, increased the ability of nurses to see and access patients easily. Construction on the reinforced concrete high-rise structure began in 1982 and accepted its first patients on July 15, 1987.
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
city of Mobile
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. The hospital tower was completed in 1987. The building sits at the center of a 277 acres (112.1 ha) campus, it rises approximately 170 feet (51.8 m) and 11 stories. It was designed by noted American architect Bertrand Goldberg
Bertrand Goldberg
Bertrand Goldberg was an American architect best known for the Marina City complex in Chicago, Illinois, the tallest residential concrete building in the world at the time of completion.-Life and career:...
, best known for the Marina City
Marina City
Marina City is a mixed-use residential/commercial building complex occupying an entire city block on State Street in Chicago, Illinois. It lies on the north bank of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, directly across from the Loop district...
complex in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
History
Providence Hospital was founded in 1854 by the Daughters of Charity from Emmitsburg, MarylandEmmitsburg, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,992.9 people per square mile . There were 862 housing units at an average density of 750.2 per square mile...
. Mobile's first bishop, Michael Portier
Michael Portier
Bishop Michael Portier was a Roman Catholic bishop and the firstBishop of Mobile. He immigrated to the United States in 1817....
, had asked the first four Sisters to come to Mobile in 1841 to care for orphans, following an outbreak of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
. By 1852 the Sisters were under contract to administer the City Hospital
Mobile City Hospital
Mobile City Hospital, also known as Old Mobile General Hospital, is a historic Greek Revival hospital building in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was built in 1830 by Thomas S. James and served as a hospital for the city of Mobile from 1831 until 1966. It was administered for the city by the...
of Mobile. This ended in 1854 when they resigned from the hospital. Their resignation came during a period of high anti-Catholic sentiment in the city, provoked by the local Know Nothing
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
political movement. A board of local citizens was formed on August 15, 1854 to build a new hospital for the Sisters. They completed a new 60-bed hospital in 1855 at the intersection of Broad and St. Anthony Streets.
In 1902 the facility moved to a new Mediterranean Revival
Mediterranean Revival Style architecture
The Mediterranean Revival was an eclectic design style that was first introduced in the United States about the end of the nineteenth century, and became popular during the 1920s and 1930s...
structure on an 11 acres (4.5 ha) Springhill Avenue campus. In 1904 they founded the second school of nursing
Nursing school
A nursing school is a type of educational institution, or part thereof, providing education and training to become a fully qualified nurse. The nature of nursing education and nursing qualifications varies considerably across the world.-United Kingdom:...
to be established in Alabama. By the late 1940s the old 100-bed structure had been outgrown and a new building, in front of the old, was started in February 1949. The new 250-bed Modern
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
-style structure was completed by October 1952.
That structure was also outgrown by the 1980s. The Sisters decided to move the hospital to a 250 acres (101.2 ha) site on the western boundary of the city. Bertrand Goldberg, known for his innovative hospital designs, was hired to design the new $60-million facility. It would be one of the last major hospital complexes designed by his firm. By this time Goldberg had completed a number of other healthcare facilities and had refined his innovative "bed-cluster pod." The pod, with its groups of rooms encircling a central nurse's station, increased the ability of nurses to see and access patients easily. Construction on the reinforced concrete high-rise structure began in 1982 and accepted its first patients on July 15, 1987.