WHAT! time is it? It’s Wausau Historic Architecture Tuesday time!
Today we wander into the hills of Wausau to the St. Mary’s Hospital/Wausau Hospital North (Forest Park Village) complex that sits on North 7th Street, between Parcher and Brown Streets. This area includes a number of buildings of varying ages and styles (and it’s a bit confusing).
St. Mary’s Hospital started in 1905 when Doctor Sauerhering, who ran Riverside Hospital, invited the Sisters of the Divine Savior to run the hospital. The name was changed to St. Mary’s at that time. They sister’s then built a new, bigger hospital on 7th Street in 1908 (now gone). Expansions were added multiple times, increasing the number of hospital beds and services.
In 1970 St. Mary’s and Memorial Hospital (on Grand Avenue) merged, creating Wausau Hospital North and Wausau Hospital South. These hospitals stayed in service until 1979 when Wausau Hospital Center (Aspirus) was built.
The buildings still standing include:
-The physical plant along Brown Street is the oldest building. It is built of mainly of field stone with a single story of brick on top.
– The 1945 brick, two story laundry is located adjacent to the physical plant on Brown Street.
– The 1941 wing of the hospital is the most recognizable building of the complex. It is a 4-story, brick structure with classical inspirations in architecture. It originally an opposing wing to a wing built in 1922 (no longer standing). Oppenheimer and Obel were the architects.
-Mary Hall (801 Parcher Street) which now serves as The Garden Apartments. It is a brick structure of 4 stories.
– The 4 story nurses dormitory was added in 1960-61 and sits at the southwest corner. This also served as the Women’s Community of Wausau for many years in the early 2000s.
-The west hospital wing is a 4-story brick addition, built about 1968.
– In 1947-48 a brick isolation hospital was added on the east side of the campus.
