St. Luke Medical Center
| St. Luke Medical Center | |
|---|---|
 The exterior of the hospital c. 2017 | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | 2632 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°10′09.63″N 118°05′46.89″W / 34.1693417°N 118.0963583°W |
| Organization | |
| Care system | Tenet Healthcare |
| Type | Community hospital |
| Religious affiliation | Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange |
| Patron | St. Luke |
| Services | |
| Beds | 165 beds |
| History | |
| Opened | 1933 |
| Closed | 2002 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in California |
St. Luke Medical Center was a hospital located in the Sierra Madre region of Pasadena, California. Upon opening in 1933, the hospital was one of only 2 to serve the city of Pasadena in tandem with Huntington Hospital, until its closure in 2002.[1] The hospital has since become a famous location for filming as it has appeared in various Music Videos, TV Shows, and Movies over the years.
History
The hospital was originally built in 1933 to serve the Northeastern communities of Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. The hospital was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange to act as a medical facility for the local area in tandem with Huntington Hospital (opened in 1892). Multiple wings were constructed to branch out of the main building over the years. The hospital also included an original chapel on the Northeast corner of the property, the critical care wing was originally constructed in 1945, the original operation wings were completed in 1948. In 1976 another wing was added to increase the number of beds of use for patient care, by 1986, two new office buildings and a co-generation facility were also added.[2] The hospital was negatively reviewed in an article in 1986 criticizing its antiquated buildings and limited capacity of patients housed, prompting the building to get its final two renovations in 1988 and 1990 respectively.
The hospital was later purchased by Tenet Healthcare in 1994 and saw the company grant funding to modernize the facility in 1996. However; within a few short years, Tenet was later criticized for its management of the hospital as patients and local residents began to report the declining service within St Luke. Huntington Hospital would undergo multiple renovations during the 1990s; drawing in more patients from the area, and seeing more of St. Luke's medical staff transferring out of the aging facility. By January 2002 Tenet Healthcare announced they would permanently close the facility by the end of the month due to St. Luke not reaching fiscal goals for the company. The hospital would close permanently on January 25, 2002.[3]
The very next year following the closure, Tenet sold the property to Caltech for use as a research facility due to its location at the base of Eaton Canyon. However; the university saw very little of use in the aging building and promptly sold the property in 2007 to a Beverly Hills based real estate company. Due to the original Chapel's location on site, the city of Pasadena declared it a historical landmark; preventing the hospital from demolition in 2003.[4] In the years following its sale, the property has been a very prominent film location due to its low cost and has featured in such movies as Kill Bill: Volume 1 and La La Land. In 2013 the hospital was briefly considered by the city of Pasadena for reuse again for its emergency room, but this was quickly vetoed as the location would be too outdated to meet modern demands. Things for the property had begun to decline yet again as the hospital would be vandalized multiple times throughout the end of the 2010s. Today; the building has been boarded up in multiple areas and added increased security to repel the local homeless population in addition to vandalism.
As a filming location
Notable works shot at St. Luke include the following:
- Films
- Equinox (1970)
- Halloween II (1981)
- Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)[5]
- Dead End (2003)
- Starsky & Hutch (2004)
- La La Land (2016)[6]
- Television programs
- Music videos
See also
- Linda Vista Community Hospital
- LAC+USC Medical Center
- Huntington Hospital
- Lindy Boggs Medical Center
References
- ^ "Photo Essay of Pasadena's Vacant Hospital".
- ^ "Saint Luke's Medical Center".
- ^ Dimassa, Cara Mia (January 5, 2002). "After 68 years, Money Woes Force the Closure of St. Luke's Medical Center". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL RESOURCES INVENTORY DATABASE DPR523B".
- ^ "Kill Bill Volume 1 Film Locations".
- ^ "Filming Location: St Luke Medical Center".
- ^ Avery, Sue (July 25, 1985). "Hospital Becomes Set in TV Special". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Drowning Pool release official video for One Finger and a Fist".
- ^ "Watch the Foo Fighters' Newest Video for 'Run'".