Eitel Hospital

Eitel Hospital (later renamed "Doctors Memorial Hospital") is a former hospital building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, located across from Loring Park. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is a brick building primarily in the Classical Revival style, made plainer when its original cornice was removed.

Eitel Hospital
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
A March 2008 picture of the hospital building after condominium conversion
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Location	1367 Willow St., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coordinates	44°58′8″N 93°16′52″W
Built	1911
Architect	Lowell A. Lamoreaux
Architectural style	Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	07001313 [1]
Added to NRHP	December 26, 2007

History

The hospital was founded by George G. Eitel in 1912 and served wealthy citizens of Minneapolis.[2] The Minneapolis Journal first announced plans in 1906, and published drawings for a four-story hospital in 1907. Fund raising caused construction delays. In January 1911, the paper published renderings by Long, Lamoreaux & Long for a five-story hospital, and in June for eight stories. It was finally built as five stories on a basement.[1]

It featured sun porches with Navajo rugs and private rooms with brass beds and mahogany furniture. His wife Jeannette Eitel, a nurse, directed the nursing school.[3] The Eitels lived in an apartment accessible from 14th Street. Eitel's nephew, George D. Eitel, ran the hospital after his uncle's death.[1]

In 1982, it began a formal alliance with Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and in 1985, the 144-bed hospital closed. The building later became the Willow Street Center for Youth and Families.[4]

In 2005, Village Green Companies submitted a proposal for renovating the former Eitel Hospital building into apartments, along with two additional six-story buildings on the block. The proposal included an adaptive reuse renovation of the 1911 building, along with rebuilding the cornice in a design similar to the original cornice. Later additions to the building were proposed for demolition.[5] Ground was broken on the complex on October 25, 2006 and Eitel Building City Apartments was completed in September 2008.[6]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
2. Millett, Larry (2007). AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. p. 81.
3. "Abbott Northwestern Hospital - About Abbott Northwestern - Our History". Abbott Northwestern Hospital. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
4. "A History of Minneapolis: Medicine". Minneapolis Public Library. 2001. Retrieved 2014-12-30.
5. "Environmental Assessment Worksheet: Loring Park Development" (PDF). City of Minneapolis. September 2005. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
6. "Ground Broken for Eitel Building City Apartments at historic Eitel Hospital overlooking Loring Park". October 25, 2006. Retrieved 2008-12-31.