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 | |
|---|---|
 Brackenridge Hospital tower in the process of demolition in 2020 | |
  | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Austin, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 30°16′26″N 97°44′02″W / 30.274°N 97.734°W |
| Organization | |
| Funding | Non-profit hospital |
| Type | General |
| Network | Ascension |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Level I trauma center |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | City–County Hospital; University Medical Center Brackenridge |
| Opened | July 3, 1884 |
| Closed | May 21, 2017 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Texas |
History
editOn 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
edit- ^ a b Norwood, Kalyn; Lee, Jenni (2019-05-15). "Saying goodbye to Brackenridge Hospital in Austin after more than 100 years". KVUE. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ a b c d "Austin bids farewell to Brackenridge Hospital after 133 years". Austin American-Statesman. 2017-05-19. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ a b "Brackenridge Hospital". Handbook of Texas. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Bailey, Todd; Goard, Alyssa (2019-05-15). "What's next for the former Brackenridge Hospital?". KXAN. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ a b Hamdan, Nadia (2019-08-08). "Demolition Of Brackenridge Starts This Month, Paving The Way For 17-Story Office Building". KUT. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ Norwood, Kayln (2020-03-17). "Demolition of beloved UMC Brackenridge Tower begins". KVUE. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ "End of an era: Brackenridge hospital coming down". Austin Business Journal. 2021-02-22. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ 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
edit- Bueche, Shelley (2020-04-23). "Unwrap the legendary history of Austin's first hospital and past pandemics". Culturemap Austin.
- Videos
- "Drone video of the former Brackenridge Hospital". KVUE. 2019-05-15.
- "Brackenridge tower in Austin is coming down". KVUE. 2020-03-17.
External links
edit- Brackenridge Hospital at the Wayback Machine (archive index)