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

This precarious-looking tower was the last remaining part of the hospital and the last part to be taken down. It was the northern end of the hospital, and was also the newest part of the building.

The cables dangling from the upper floors are relics of the failed attempts to pull the building down. The cables had been attached to the excavators that were used to break away the outer walls; the idea was that the excavators would all pull away in unison, pulling the structure down. The middle part of the hospital had been successfully taken down using that technique, but the north end of the building was too strongly built and stubbornly refused to fall. After each failure, the demolition crew would use cutting torches to cut through and weaken some of the steel beams that made up the building's framework before making another attempt.

The gray building visible in the background of this photograph is the new Lutheran Downtown Hospital.

10-29-22

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."

Print Information:

The original Polaroid print is not for sale, but you may purchase prints that I have made from the original image. Like the prints that I produce and sell of my conventional photographs, these are exhibition quality signed archival inkjet prints made on glossy baryta paper using pigment inks. Because Polaroid prints fade over time when exposed to light, the inkjet prints are actually superior for framing and display; they will not fade.

The 3.5x4.3 inch prints are the same size as the original image; others are enlargements.

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by Christopher Crawford

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