Habitat for Humanity Abilene planned to raze St. Ann Hospital; then a fire happened

Laura Gutschke, Abilene Reporter-News
·3 min read

A large fire further gutted the shuttered St. Ann Hospital at 1350 Cypress St. Thursday evening, about a month after Habitat for Humanity Abilene assumed ownership.

The nonprofit was in the process of getting bids to demolish the facility.

A resident in the 1300 block of Cypress Street watches from his porch as Abilene firefighters pour water onto the burning St. Ann Hospital Thursday.
A resident in the 1300 block of Cypress Street watches from his porch as Abilene firefighters pour water onto the burning St. Ann Hospital Thursday.

"A lot of people are assuming this will make it go quicker. But it probably won't because I had already started getting bids on the demolition, so I have to get all those bids redone," said Habitat Abilene executive director Rosten Callarman Friday morning.

An orange glow filled the north Abilene sky Thursday as flames engulfed the building.

The fire started at a neighboring property and spread to the old hospital at about 7 p.m. Thursday, according to a Habitat Abilene Facebook post late Thursday night.

Flames rise above the remains of St. Ann Hospital Thursday Oct. 6, 2022. This was the second time the 82-year-old building had burned since a 2017 blaze was fought here.
Flames rise above the remains of St. Ann Hospital Thursday Oct. 6, 2022. This was the second time the 82-year-old building had burned since a 2017 blaze was fought here.

History of the building

St. Ann Hospital was founded in 1940 by Sisters of the Divine Providence.

Rough-cut stone masonry with distinct mortar joints is an exterior feature of part of the hospital. Much of those stones remained standing while the roof was gone Friday morning.

The masonry is typical of structures built by German immigrants in the area in the 1930s and later years, Callerman said.

The 36-bed hospital closed in 1968, and the property was rezoned in 1983 to accommodate duplexes built for the Marbridge Villa Skilled Nursing Center for mentally challenged adults, according to Dec. 1, 2016, Abilene City Council meeting minutes.

Marbridge later moved operations to Austin, and the property had been empty for years at the time of the council meeting.

CitySquare Housing, a Dallas-based anti-poverty nonprofit working in conjunction with Abilene's Highland Church of Christ, planned to transform the hospital into St. Ann's Place with one-bedroom apartments dedicated for formerly homeless people.

A ceremonial groundbreaking was hosted in November 2017 with targeted completion 13 months later. But, demolition costs grew from $30,000 to $300,000 because of the discovery of the spread of asbestos caused by a two-alarm fire on April 9, 2017.

In August 2019, organizers told the Reporter-News that the $5 million adaptive reuse and historical renovation project would have 22 apartments in the property’s existing stone structures and 12 in a new building.

Funding was expected to come from tax credits and donations.

Different vision

Representatives from the church and CitySquare approached Habitat Abilene about taking over the property, working in conjunction with the city of Abilene on its demolition, Callarman said.

"It was once a place of hope (it was a maternity hospital originally), but it is now a danger and a blight to the neighborhood. Which is why we are going to tear it down," the Habitat Abilene post stated.

More:Habitat for Humanity putting on the blitz for Abilene Gives

A member of the Abilene Fire Department walks through tall grass at the former St. Ann Hospital, 1350 Cypress St., a day after a major fire engulfed the building.
A member of the Abilene Fire Department walks through tall grass at the former St. Ann Hospital, 1350 Cypress St., a day after a major fire engulfed the building.

The Abilene City Council on July 14 entered into a Chapter 380 agreement with the nonprofit for infill development of single-family residences. The incentive package is valued at $500,000, City Manager Robert Hanna said.

State law allows municipalities to enter into such agreements that include offering loans and grants of city funds or services at little or no cost to the developer to stimulate business and commercial activity.

Paperwork transferring ownership was signed about a month ago.

"Our goal is to demolish it and to replat it and turn it into single-family homes," Callarman said.

The nonprofit will seek to have as many 50-foot lots as possible on the property, which is consistent with other lots in the neighborhood, he said.

The property measures 1.42 acres, according to the Taylor County Appraisal District website.

The nonprofit already has three houses under development in the neighborhood, Callarman said, and is always looking for other infill lots for new houses.

"In its place we will build new homes that will bring new families to this neighborhood, where new memories can be made. We intend to make this a place of hope once again," Habitat Abilene stated.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Habitat Abilene plans houses for St Ann Hospital gutted by fire