Brackenridge Hospital

Brackenridge Hospital, also known as University Medical Center Brackenridge,[1] (UMC Brackenridge) was the public hospital of Austin, Texas. It had the nickname "Brack".[2]

Brackenridge Hospital
Debris in front of a partially demolished tower
Brackenridge Hospital tower in the process of demolition in 2020
Brackenridge Hospital is located in Texas
Brackenridge Hospital
Geography
LocationAustin, Texas, United States
Coordinates30.274°N 97.734°W / 30.274; -97.734
Organization
FundingNon-profit hospital
TypeGeneral
NetworkAscension
Services
Emergency departmentLevel I trauma center
History
Former name(s)City–County Hospital;
University Medical Center Brackenridge
OpenedJuly 3, 1884 (1884-July-03)
ClosedMay 21, 2017 (2017-May-21)
Links
ListsHospitals in Texas

History

On July 3, 1884, the City-County Hospital, which had two stories, was established on a block in what was then northeast Austin. That block had been, in the 1839 Waller Plan, designated to house a hospital. The cost of the initial building was $10,000. It became solely owned by the City of Austin when Travis County ended its share of the ownership in 1907. A 45-bed replacement building opened in 1915. In 1929 the Austin City Council renamed the hospital after hospital board chairperson Robert J. Brackenridge.[3] In 1969,[2] a replacement building opened, with a price tag of $43 million. It eventually housed 363 beds,[3] as the final phase opened in 1984.[2]

In 1995 the city began contracting the operation of the hospital to Seton Healthcare Family.[4] In 2004 the city sold the hospital to Central Health.[5]

The hospital closed on May 21, 2017, as it was replaced by the Dell Seton Medical Center.[2]

Brackenridge's demolition began in August 2017.[6] The tower's demolition originally was to begin in 2018, but as the Austin city government took time to issue a permit for that,[7] its demolition began in summer 2019.[1] Demolition ended in 2021.[8] An office building is to be built on the former site.[6] Central Health planned to use the money gained from selling the land to fund healthcare services.[5]

While it was vacant, the hospital was used as a filming location for the television show Fear the Walking Dead.[9]

References
  1. Norwood, Kalyn; Lee, Jenni (2019-05-15). "Saying goodbye to Brackenridge Hospital in Austin after more than 100 years". KVUE. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  2. "Austin bids farewell to Brackenridge Hospital after 133 years". Austin American-Statesman. 2017-05-19. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  3. "Brackenridge Hospital". Handbook of Texas. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  4. Roser, Mary Ann (2013-05-13). "Officials to unveil details on private ownership of Austin's public hospital". Austin American Statesman. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  5. Bailey, Todd; Goard, Alyssa (2019-05-15). "What's next for the former Brackenridge Hospital?". KXAN. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  6. Hamdan, Nadia (2019-08-08). "Demolition Of Brackenridge Starts This Month, Paving The Way For 17-Story Office Building". KUT. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  7. Norwood, Kayln (2020-03-17). "Demolition of beloved UMC Brackenridge Tower begins". KVUE. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  8. "End of an era: Brackenridge hospital coming down". Austin Business Journal. 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  9. Karacostas, Chase (June 21, 2018). "Fear the Walking Dead filmed at these Austin-area locations". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2018.

Further reading
Videos
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.