Firmin Desloge Hospital

Firmin Desloge Hospital, located in St. Louis, Missouri, 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. Desloge Hospital's founding principles were to serve the poor and those most in need in the community.^[1] Desloge Hospital is located on Grand Avenue between Vista Avenue and Rutger Avenue, St. Louis, MO.

History

In February 1930, St. Louis University received a $1 million bequest ($13 million in 2010 dollars) from the estate of Firmin Vincent Desloge,^[2] a member of the Desloge Family in America, who provided in his will, funds for a hospital to serve St. Louis University and to replace the old St. Mary’s Hospital, both in St. Louis.^[3] 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.^[4]

Construction began in the fall of 1930, with an estimated cost of $1.25 million.^[5] Archbishop John Glennon formally laid the cornerstone of the hospital on June 22, 1931.

The chapel, known as Desloge Chapel, has sculpture by John Angel.^[6] In keeping with the Desloge family dedication to service and advancement, Firmin Desloge Hospital was also specifically for African Americans, and served as a nursing school for African American women.^[7]

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”.^[8]

This original structure—renamed Desloge Tower—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.^[1][9]

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.

Design

Firmin Desloge Hospital is the main hospital building of the St. Louis University Medical Center. Built in 1933 from plans by Study, Farrar and Majors, with Arthur Widmer, the structure rises ten stories above a high basement, and reflects the Modern Gothic Revival style. The basement and first two stories are covered with ashlar limestone, projecting out from the building at the center and end blocks. These projections display Gothic pointed-arched openings and flat, slender pilasters; the central projection has a monumental porch with compound arches. Above this three-story base, the building steps back, its five divisions composed of narrow piers with double hung windows and brick spandrels. The building is crowned by a steeply pitched hipped roof of copper, pierced with wall and roof dormers in a variety of configurations.^[10]

Desloge chapel

Desloge Chapel was designed by the famous Gothic revivalist architect, Ralph Adams Cram, FAIA (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) who was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic style. The Desloge Chapel was designed to echo the contours of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, and in 1983, Desloge Chapel was declared a landmark by the Missouri Historical Society.^[11] The stained glass was created by Emil Frei, stained glass artisans since 1898. Emil Frei also design the stained glass windows for St. Francis Xavier (College) Church, also part of St. Louis University.^[12]

Modern era

In 1983, the fiftieth anniversary of the Firmin Desloge Hospital, the Desloge family again donated funds necessary to illuminate the peaked copper roof.^[13]

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. 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).

References

External links

• Hospital Information Page

Coordinates: 38°37′22″N 90°14′18″W / 38.62290°N 90.23834°W / 38.62290; -90.23834