Louisville's U.S. Marine Hospital remains empty, decade after exterior restored

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It has been 10 years since the exterior of Louisville's U.S. Marine Hospital in the Portland neighborhood was restored, but the inside remains unfinished.

Several rooms on the first floor are used for meetings and group exercise, but the rest of the old hospital is closed to the public due to safety concerns.

Because the outside is restored, Family Health Centers Executive Director Bill Wagner says many people believe the inside is in good shape, too.

"Little do they know, it's empty," said Wagner.

The hospital, designed by Washington Monument architect Robert Mills, opened on April 1, 1852. Union soldiers were treated at the hospital during the first two years of the Civil War and later World War I veterans. But, most of the patients throughout the years were merchant sailors.

"They may have been injured during their jobs or they may have contracted contagious diseases," Wagner said.

The building later served as living quarters for nurses and doctors in the 1930s, before the City of Louisville purchased it for $25,000 in 1950. It was later turned into office space and is currently owned by the Board of Health, while Family Health Centers oversees it.

Though patients haven't been in the hospital for decades, some of the original features are still intact.

"If you look up you can see this shaft and a skylight here," Wagner said. "That was the natural light for the operating room. It's scary to think about what might have happened here in this room."

In 1997, the hospital was designated as a national historic landmark. The designation helped build interest in the late 1990s and early 2000s for the $2.5 million exterior restoration.

Though several proposals have been submitted to the general assembly, Wagner says attempts to make the inside look as good as the outside have failed.

"Up until now we just haven't been fortunate enough to raise the five to six million dollars we need to refinish the interior," said Wagner.

The latest proposal calls for a collaboration between Family Health Centers, JCTC and U of L to create a Center for Health Education and Training. However, Wagner says many private donors want to see public support first. "We're disappointed. We thought the building would be restored to use by now."

He says they are more than willing to consider other proposals if interest is shown.