St. Anthony's

[Doug Loudenback]

I thought I just posted this but maybe it didn't "stick" somehow. If it does appear twice, perhaps a mod will kindly delete the duplicate.

In addition to my "Happy Birthday To Me" post last Saturday (nothing remarkable ... just a review of the blog's 1st year), and in addition to a major update on the Okc History Books post, I've just posted an article about the hospital I was born in, St. Anthony's (although several other "old" hospitals are mentioned, as well). St. Anthony's is reported to be the city's largest hospital, and it was the city's 1st permanent hospital.

Leaving out most of the text, most of the pics (small version) are below.

St. Anthony's 1899 Structure


Couple of images from the Oklahoman - not good quality



1911 - 1st Graduating Nurse Class



In the 1940s


Postmarked 1946


The Competion

Rolater Hospital, 325 NE 4th, early 1900s


Wesley Hospital, 12th & Harvey (1911)


Replacement Wesley (1927), same location ... became Presbyterian


City Hospital, 401 NE 2nd (1912)


State Baptist Hospital (1916) became Oklahoma General Hospital (1922), then Mercy Hospital (1947). Before Mercy moved in 1974, it occupied the block between Dewey & Walker, NW 13 & NW 12


University Hospital on NE 13 (1919)


Polyclinic Hospital, NW Corner of 13th & Robinson (1929)


A 1958 St. Anthony Proposal


Plaza Court NE of St. Anthony's


At 10th & Walker, looking southwest (7/20/07)


Around 9th & Walker, Looking West (7/20/07)


A Closer Look (7/20/07)


Parking Garage on South Side


West Side Looking Southeast


St. Francis, Patron Saint of the Religious Order that Started St. Anthony's

[Easy180]

Cool stuff Doug

The State Baptist/Oklahoma General building looked pretty shnazzy

Guess that was back before they believed in landscaping

[Doug Loudenback]

Cool stuff Doug

The State Baptist/Oklahoma General building looked pretty shnazzy

Guess that was back before they believed in landscaping

Thanks, Easy! I see several leaf-less trees in that pic so I'm guessing it was taken in the winter or something (Dutch-elm disease?).

The most landscaping-less and forelorn hospital seems to be the City Hospital ...



... which was apparently initially intended for charity patients. It came to be called "Post-Graduate Hospital", and was later used by the Dept. of Health for laboratory space, and, then, in the 1940s it became the Stiles Community Center. It was demolished during Urban Renewal days, I think.


What strikes me as "odd" (if one were constructing a hospital) is that many if not most of those old hospitals had outside stairway entrances to get into the building! Daa-mmm! What If you couldn't hardly walk? Go figure ... maybe there were other entrances.

On a more serious note, articles I read doing this research say that St. Ann's is the "largest" hospital in Okc. I'm trying to ferret out what that means, exactly, but it strikes me that Baptist or whatever it's called today at Independence and NW Expressway may be larger ... I don't know for sure.

[HOT ROD]

Hm, OKC had a lot of hospitals back then. I wonder why they didn't survive.

Like the Polyclinic; every city needs a polyclinic - I never knew OKC had one.

St Anthony sure was beautiful back in the old days. Today it is also, but it looks like any big city hospital.

I notice that they got rid of the pitched roofs of the past and built the medical tower (that we all know too well today).

I like the urban flat roofs we have today (and in general which should be downtown and in heavily urban areas), but in that picture at least, the pitched roofs of St Anthony's past look great!!

[metro]

Wow Doug, I didn't know you were that old and talented to take pics of the first St. Anthony's when you were born! J/K. Good post and congrats.

[HOT ROD]

I too, was birthed from Saint Anthony!!!!

[Doug Loudenback]

Wow Doug, I didn't know you were that old and talented to take pics of the first St. Anthony's when you were born! J/K. Good post and congrats.

I understand. But, when I was transformed into Doug Dawg, strange things started to happen ... and happen ... and happen ...

[Doug Loudenback]

I too, was birthed from Saint Anthony!!!!

Kewl! That makes 2 of the 155,000 that St. A's website says have been born there! I wouldn't have wanted to be born any place else than in the 1st permanent hospital in Oklahoma! Am I right or what? My mom's doctor officed in the Osler (sp?) building on Walker.

[HOT ROD]

Yep, it is pretty kewl I must say to be born in the State's oldest and largest hospital!!! And it's still growing .....

Go Saint Anthony!!!

[Doug Loudenback]

Yep, it is pretty kewl I must say to be born in the State's oldest and largest hospital!!! And it's still growing .....

Go Saint Anthony!!!

I don't know if it is the state's largest ... I've not heard that.

[Doug Loudenback]

I've added a link to the pic below in the blog ... April 28, 1998, Oklahoman articles ... click the image to see a "readable" version of the full page. It's quite a nice "centennial" (for the hospital, that is) review of the hospital's history, particularly it's roots, response to the depression and dust bowl, etc ... after clicking the link, depending on how your computer is set up (to show or not to show full size large graphics), you may need to resize the image to show its full size, 1433 x 1928 pixels ...

[NikonNurse]

I'm a Holy Tony's baby myself.

[gmwise]

I think Saint Anthony is the best one we have, not perfect but the best we have.
I'm glad they are adding and growing.

[CCOKC]

Thanks for the article Doug. It is amazing to see what those nuns accomplished. You could also do the history of Mount Saint Mary's (if you haven't already) to see nun's influence on education. There are many many hospitals and schools in the west that were founded by nuns just like at St Anthony's. I was reminded of that old Sidney Poitier movie "Lilies of the Field" when I read that article.

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks for the article Doug. It is amazing to see what those nuns accomplished. You could also do the history of Mount Saint Mary's (if you haven't already) to see nun's influence on education. There are many many hospitals and schools in the west that were founded by nuns just like at St Anthony's. I was reminded of that old Sidney Poitier movie "Lilies of the Field" when I read that article.

I've not done Mount Saint Mary's ... good suggestion and I'll do it!