Charity Hospital: Landmark’s 9 Most Endangered

Text courtesy of the Louisiana Landmarks Society

A premier example of Art Deco architecture in New Orleans, this massive 20-story structure opened its doors in 1939. One of the three most important structures built by the local architectural firm Weiss, Dreyfous and Seiferth, Charity Hospital is a major part of our architectural heritage. The hospital, once one of the leading teaching facilities in the Southern region, was the best source of diagnostic medicine and trauma care in the area prior to Hurricane Katrina. Following the hurricane, the military, local doctors and volunteers pumped out the basement, cleaned and sanitized the lower floor, and restored power, but Charity was never reopened. While a feasibility study, authorized by the state legislature, determined that Charity Hospital was structurally sound and capable of housing a state-of-the-art hospital, the building has been neglected and its future is uncertain.

Join the efforts to Save Charity Hospital!