For many years, the City Hospital of St. Louis served as the main hospital for the area. This massive complex of buildings stood from the early 1900's until about 1985 when the facilities were moved up onto Delmar Boulevard. After that, the buildings were vacant and sat open to all sorts of people going in there. The complex was huge, 12 buildings in all, built to support hundreds of patients at a time, possibly thousands.
Around the turn of the century, plans began to renovate the property and convert its massive structures into condominiums. The first of these renovations was completed in 2006 and the main building of the city hospital had been repurposed. The rest of the buildings in the complex were either torn down (5 in all) or renovated (the remaining 6). This particular photograph was taken in the laundry building, which was the only one I was able to access without actually, you know, breaking in or something.
This was one of the first photographs I ever took with an intent to print and frame. The id plate on this clothing press (yes, that's what it was) struck me with it's detail and clarity. I suspect part of my awe comes from seeing similar plates on machines and appliances today that are not made with the same attention to detail or longevity. It's unfortunate that with all of our modern manufacturing techniques we make things that aren't meant to last very long and need to be replaced every few years.
I have a couple of other photographs from this building, but this will always be my favorite.
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