Firmin Desloge Hospital first opened in 1933 as a partnership between the Jesuits of Saint Louis University and the Sisters of Saint Mary, and named for the benefactor, Firmin V. Desloge.[1] Desloge Hospital's founding principles were to serve the poor and those most in need in the community.[2]
In February 1930, St. Louis University received a $1 million bequest ($13 million in 2010 dollars)from the estate of Firmin Vincent Desloge[3], a member of the Desloge Family in America. Another donation was received from the Desloge family of $100,000 ($1.3 million in 2010 dollars) from Mr. Desloge’s wife, Lydia Desloge, and was designated to build a chapel next to the hospital. The hospital's cornerstone was laid on June 2, 1931.
On November 3, 1933, Firmin Desloge Hospital was officially dedicated. The hospital building was described as modified French Gothic architecture, rising 250 feet and is topped by a Gothic roof of copper-covered lead. It was noted by Firmin V. Desloge’s son Firmin (III) at the appropriateness that the roof was covered by lead as the funds provided to the hospital had been derived almost entirely from the family business of lead mining. In contemplating the lead roof at the dedication, he reflected about his father’s life and about the Desloge family history in Missouri and said, “that’s a good cap on things”.[4]
This original structure - renamed Desloge Towers - continues to serve the hospital as physician offices and administrative space. The original copper-covered roof remains a St. Louis landmark and is a distinctive part of the City of St. Louis's skyline. There were 206 beds in Desloge Hospital. Two-thirds of them were double-occupancy rooms and the rest were private rooms. This broke the tradition of large open wards, which were common at the time.[5]
The hospital was originally operated under the auspices of the Sisters of St. Mary. In 1959, administration of Firmin Desloge Hospital shifted completely to Saint Louis University. At this time, Firmin Desloge Hospital, the Bordley Memorial Pavilion and the David P. Wohl Sr. Memorial Institute were collectively renamed Saint Louis University Hospitals.
Continuous growth and the need for modern facilities and equipment resulted in the construction of a new hospital facility as an addition to the original structure. This new part of the hospital was built directly behind the old Firmin Desloge Hospital at a cost of $39.1 million dollars. The first patients moved in on January 30, 1988.
In 1998, the hospital was purchased from Saint Louis University by Tenet HealthSystem, which also operates Des Peres Hospital (formerly Deaconess West Hospital).
The Desloge Family, furthering their dedication to philanthropy and health, also donated funds to St. Lukes Hospital in west St. Louis. Mr. and Mrs. Theodore P. Desloge, Jr., great-grandson of Firmin Vincent Desloge, donated $5 million in 2008 for the Mr. and Mrs. Theodore P. Desloge, Jr. Outpatient Center[6]