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

The last remnant of the hospital collapses as several excavators pull it down with steel cables attached to the building's structural framework. It finally came down just before 6pm.

This was the newest part of the hospital. It was the last part built, and the last part demolished. It had stubbornly refused to come down! There had been a number of failed attempts to pull it down over the previous week, but the frame was too strong. After each attempt, workers had to use cutting torches to weaken parts of the frame, and new cables had to be strung up to the building.

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."