1946 - Bethania Hospital Chapel - Wichita Falls, TX
N 33° 54.165 W 098° 30.059
14S E 546135 N 3751485
Built in 1946, the chapel from the old Bethania Hospital still serves the United Regional Hospital at 1600 11th St, Wichita Falls, TX.
Waymark Code: WMVCRF
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/02/2017
Views: 1
A 2014 Texas Historical Marker provides some background about the old Bethania Hospital, whose spirit lives on today in this chapel and other sections of the United Regional Hospital complex:
The oil boom of 1918 was still benefitting Wichita Falls in the 1920s as the population increased to 55,000 residents. Drs. R.L. Hargrave and M.M. Walker saw the need for another medical facility besides the Wichita General Hospital and built the Hargrave-Walker Clinic and Hospital on 11th Street in 1926. The hospital was purchased by the sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1934. Originally from Poland, the Sisters came to American in the late 1800s to minister to Polish immigrants. They named the hospital Bethania Hospital in 1935 and it opened with eight Sisters in charge under the leadership of Mother Marie DeLourdes.
In 1942, renovations were conducted, increasing the original 25-bed hospital by 23 beds and adding two floors. After WWII, a four-story wing was added to the original building. In 1959, Bethania graduated its first class of licensed vocational nurses and continually ranked in the top five nursing schools in America. More construction in 1972 added four stories to the 1959 building called the West Tower. Three new floors were added to the furthest west building in 1986 and a 25-foot metal cross was placed atop the West Tower.
In 1988, the original Bethania Building was razed to provide a new entry and parking. In 1997, Bethania and Wichita General Hospitals merged as United Regional Health Care System. The Sisters remained with the system until 2006, at which time they gifted their property on 11th Street to United Regional Health Care System, leaving a lasting legacy of care to the citizens of Wichita Falls and the surrounding area.
Year of construction: 1946
Full inscription:
Anno † Domini
A.D. 1946
Cross-listed waymark: Not listed
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