Holy Family Hospital

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View of the east facade of the three-story brick hospital with its Richardsonian Romanesque arched stone entrance and Roman Catholic cross-topped turrets. The hilltop location on the corner of Western Avenue and S. 23rd Street includes its looped drive, grounds and the power building's chimney towering over a bank of trees on the right. A dwelling, across Western Avenue, is on the left. Opening its doors to the public on September 28, 1899, the new hospital was designed by Manitowoc architect C.H. Tegen. In the late 1890's, Manitowoc was a rapidly growing maritime port city in need of a large, modern medical facility. With encouragement and financial support from city leaders, the sisters of Holy Family Convent, the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, acquired land that had been Gerpheide's Park for the construction of a hospital. With a capacity of 75 beds at its inception, the staff included seven sisters, one lay nurse and three physicians. It was open to all and was a station of the U. S. Marine Hospital Service welcoming seamen of Manitowoc and vicinity. After more than seven decades of service, the building was considered to be inadequate for modern health care needs. It was razed in 1973 with the exception of the first floor, which was given a new roof and provided utility services for the more modern hospital buildings, according to newspaper accounts. The chimney was razed in 2015.