Polaroid photograph of the demolition of Saint Joseph Hospital on the corner of Broadway and Main Street in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Most of the hospital is gone; leaving only this part, which had been the north end of the building. I made this photograph as preparations were being made to make another attempt to pull down the building using excavators connected to the building's frame with steel cables. There had been several failed attempts over the previous week, because the structure was stronger than anticipated!

This final attempt was successful.

11-3-22

About The Hospital:

Founded in 1869, Saint Joseph Hospital was the oldest hospital in Fort Wayne. It closed in November, 2021 and demolition began in 2022.

Originally a Roman Catholic hospital, Saint Joseph was sold years ago to a big for-profit company that also owns Lutheran Hospital and Dupont Hospital in Fort Wayne. The company built a new, much smaller hospital one block over on the corner of Main Street and Van Buren Street to replace the aging Saint Joseph Hospital. The Saint Joseph name was not kept; the new hospital is called "Lutheran Downtown."