Where I was born

https://www.kwtx.com/2020/08/15/old-hillcrest-hospital-to-be-demolished/

I'm shocked it took so long.

I was born there. As was my older brother. As were both of my kids.

Last time i drove by there (1 month ago) it looked like it was still being used. At least the 1st floor by the main entrance on N.30th St.

My dad, mom, two brothers and I were born there. I had to take allergy shots there in the 1990's from doctor Daftary. I think she works now at Allergy & Asthma Care of Waco on Jewell Drive.

Born there as well, as was my sister.

Hillcrest Hospital herring ave campus several additions over the years pics were found online

All three of my legitimate children were born there.

Scott&White has been and always will be a cancer. Redneck healthcare.

I resemble that remark.

Before they demolish it I sure hope they'll let me come up there and take that red and white 63 Chevy off the parking lot that's in the above picture.

You can thank me. I worked as a financial analyst there in college, and I ran a cost analysis on maintaining the existing building space vs using new space elsewhere for administrative functions. I suggested new space.

However, I'm going to guess my analysis went straight into the trash when I handed it in.

Got my first pacemaker there back in 1993 during my Thanksgiving break from class. Operation extended my break by an additional week. But I hit the Nirvana show on the next Sunday night in Dallas. So it all worked out in the end I guess.

Remarkable how the new hospital resembles the 60's/ 70's version:

Since it was before my time, I never could figure out how the 1960's-era hospital fit into the footprint of the hospital in the 1990s and 2000s. It was such a hodge-podge mess of additions.

You can still see the original 1920's-era hospital portion clearly from Herring Ave, however, nothing seems to resemble the pictures of the 1960's version. Did they tear it down completely, or somehow just build around it until it was unrecognizable?

Scratchy Bear said:

---

Since it was before my time, I never could figure out how the 1960's-era hospital fit into the footprint of the hospital in the 1990s and 2000s. It was such a hodge-podge mess of additions.

You can still see the original 1920's-era hospital portion clearly from Herring Ave, however, nothing seems to resemble the pictures of the 1960's version. Did they tear it down completely, or somehow just build around it until it was unrecognizable?

---

The original 1920 brick building I believe faced Herring, with another brick addition added behind it in somewhat of an L shape. The 1962 addition was parallel to the original but faced Pine, with the parking lot in front and the entrance in the middle of the building facing pine.

In 1975 another addition was perpendicular to the 1962 addition coming toward pine, where the former main entrance was. The new entrance was added on N. 30th.

All the buidings up to that time were 5 stories tall. Sometime in the late 1980s/early 1990s they added 5 additional floors atop the 1962 addition only, as well as the mostly windowless administration building along N. 30th. The floor to ceiling windows in the pediatric wing on the 10th floor had the best views of the city (Hillcrest sat at 600+ feet above sea level, or 200 feet higher than the Alico building downtown).

The only place the vestiges of the 1962 addition that remained visible after all the additions was on the 2nd floor hallway leading to the maternity ward. A "courtyard" was entirely enclosed between the 75 addition and 62 addition when they expanded maternity and delivery over the N. 30th entrance, so they never bothered to update the facade in the enclosed area.

geewago said:

---

Before they demolish it I sure hope they'll let me come up there and take that red and white 63 Chevy off the parking lot that's in the above picture.

---

It's in my garage on Windsor.

whitetrash said:

---

Scratchy Bear said:

---

Since it was before my time, I never could figure out how the 1960's-era hospital fit into the footprint of the hospital in the 1990s and 2000s. It was such a hodge-podge mess of additions.

You can still see the original 1920's-era hospital portion clearly from Herring Ave, however, nothing seems to resemble the pictures of the 1960's version. Did they tear it down completely, or somehow just build around it until it was unrecognizable?

---

The original 1920 brick building I believe faced Herring, with another brick addition added behind it in somewhat of an L shape. The 1962 addition was parallel to the original but faced Pine, with the parking lot in front and the entrance in the middle of the building facing pine.

In 1975 another addition was perpendicular to the 1962 addition coming toward pine, where the former main entrance was. The new entrance was added on N. 30th.

All the buidings up to that time were 5 stories tall. Sometime in the late 1980s/early 1990s they added 5 additional floors atop the 1962 addition only, as well as the mostly windowless administration building along N. 30th. The floor to ceiling windows in the pediatric wing on the 10th floor had the best views of the city (Hillcrest sat at 600+ feet above sea level, or 200 feet higher than the Alico building downtown).

The only place the vestiges of the 1962 addition that remained visible after all the additions was on the 2nd floor hallway leading to the maternity ward. A "courtyard" was entirely enclosed between the 75 addition and 62 addition when they expanded maternity and delivery over the N. 30th entrance, so they never bothered to update the facade in the enclosed area.

---

Thanks for this info. I've driven by it a million times and never could figure it out. The 1962 addition looks a lot larger in the photos than it actually is.

As a side note, I remember reading one time that when the hospital was built in the 20s, the roads leading to it were still dirt, so they had to deliver patients to the hospital by horse and buggy when it rained. It's crazy how much things changed during the lifespan of that hospital.

There are still markings of streetcar tracks around Maple & 29th (?) that I assumed serviced both Dean-Highlands and Hillcrest. I don't know if the streetcar was electric or horse-drawn. Maybe some historians of Waco can shed some light on this.

ABC BEAR said:

---

There are still markings of streetcar tracks around Maple & 29th (?) that I assumed serviced both Dean-Highlands and Hillcrest. I don't know if the streetcar was electric or horse-drawn. Maybe some historians of Waco can shed some light on this.

---

I believe it was electric & was called the InterUrban or something like that. If i recall correctly it went all the way to Dallas at some point.

MrGolfguy said:

---

ABC BEAR said:

---

There are still markings of streetcar tracks around Maple & 29th (?) that I assumed serviced both Dean-Highlands and Hillcrest. I don't know if the streetcar was electric or horse-drawn. Maybe some historians of Waco can shed some light on this.

---

I believe it was electric & was called the InterUrban or something like that. If i recall correctly it went all the way to Dallas at some point.

---

Interesting. At one time there were a number of short line passenger services around the country. I remember hearing of such a line servicing Dallas and Collin County referred to as the "Dinky" because of its size.

Texas Electric Railway - Wikipedia

There is a related museum in Plano.

There were also streetcars in Waco, but they were not related to the interurban.

Waco History Project: Places in Time

ABC BEAR said:

---

There are still markings of streetcar tracks around Maple & 29th (?) that I assumed serviced both Dean-Highlands and Hillcrest. I don't know if the streetcar was electric or horse-drawn. Maybe some historians of Waco can shed some light on this.

---

I believe those tracks were part of a streetcar line (or interurban spur) that ran from Camp MacArthur into town.

There also used to be tracks visible near 5th & Speight, until BU shut down the intersection and covered it in brick pavers.

Had no idea they were still treating patients there in 2016. I thought they all moved to new campus

Bearicade said:

---

Had no idea they were still treating patients there in 2016. I thought they all moved to new campus

---

There are still some physical therapy functions in an annex building on the property across the street from the old hospital. This too will eventually move to the new hospital. Disposing of the property in a fashion which enhances the surrounding neighborhood is the next challenge.

geewago said:

---

Before they demolish it I sure hope they'll let me come up there and take that red and white 63 Chevy off the parking lot that's in the above picture.

---

Looks like a '62. My dad had one.