United States Marine Hospital of Louisville
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United States Marine Hospital of Louisville
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| Location | Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
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| Coordinates | 38°16′16″N 85°47′02″W / 38.271°N 85.78398°WCoordinates: 38°16′16″N 85°47′02″W / 38.271°N 85.78398°W |
| Built | 1845 |
| Architect | multiple |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 97001265 |
| Added to NRHP | September 25, 1997 |
The United States Marine Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, in the Portland neighborhood was built in 1845, and is considered by the National Park Service to be the best remaining antebellum hospital in the United States. Of the seven hospitals built in the mid-19th century by the Marine Hospital Service "for the benefit of sick seamen, boatmen, and other navigators on the western rivers and lakes." It is the only one still standing, even after surviving two tornadoes. The building has been extensively restored to match its appearance in 1899.
The U.S. Marine Hospital opened in 1852. The patients at the Louisville Marine Hospital were usually victims of disease, temperature extremes, and mechanical deficiencies of the era's naval technology. During the American Civil War, along with Jefferson General Hospital, it formed the foundation of Louisville health care for wounded soldiers, both Union and captured Confederates. It is believed that a third of the total patients were black. During World War I the hospital cared for many amputees injured in the war. During the 1930s, it served as housing for nurses and doctors of nearby hospitals. The hospital closed in 1933.
The city of Louisville purchased the building in 1950 for $25,000 and used it for a short time as a hospital for the chronically ill.
In the late 1950s, it housed medical residents working in the newer hospital directly behind it, which replaced the Marine Hospital and today is known as Family Health Center Portland. The building was vacant from 1976 until 2007. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
In 2003, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) placed the building on its America's Most Endangered Places list, which helped spark public interest in restoring it. The hospital has now been returned to its 1899 appearance, the earliest reference of the building's appearance that can be found. In 2003, the hospital received a $375,000 Save America's Treasures grant from the NTHP to repair its roof and exterior. On November 11, 2005, rebuilding of the structure began. The smokestack, constructed in 1933, was demolished to help return the structure to its 1899 appearance. The octagonal cupola, which patients used to better view the passing river traffic during its heyday, was also rebuilt.
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