Save the Godbold movement fails as developers tear down historic Lubbock landmark
The building that was once home to Lubbock's first hospital, constructed in 1935, is no longer part of the Lubbock landscape.
The Godbold Building, which was home to St. Mary's Hospital before its merger to form Covenant Hospital, was located on 19th Street near Akron Avenue across from the Texas Tech campus and was constructed 10 years after the university had opened its doors.
Just last year, the property was the center of attention in a hotly contested debate between the citizens of Lubbock and OJD Engineering, who had purchased the property back in 2021 and tried — unsuccessfully — to build a 700-bed student housing complex.
However, this wasn't the only fight to save the Godbold building.
In 2014, the Lubbock Heritage Society launched the "Save the Godbold" campaign to save the former St. Mary's Hospital building from a proposed development, according to Avalanche-Journal archives.
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The $1.2 million building was under the ownership of Carlton Godbold, who was in the process of selling it to Clayton Isom. The A-J reported at the time that Chrome, a local clothing store now located at 6701 Slide Road, and Cafe J were renters still under a leasing contract at the building.
The campaign ultimately saved the 85-year-old building that three doctors built in the 1930s — 30 years after Lubbock was incorporated as a city.
According to A-J archives, the three doctors later sold it to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, which later helped established Covenant Medical Center. The building has since seen numerous business ventures, including a hotel.
More: Developer, opponents ready for another round in fight over Tech Terrace project
During the 2022 and 2023 fights to prevent the rezoning of the location, many citizens spoke in opposition destroying the historic building; however, as promised by the developers, the building was demolished precisely a year after the Lubbock City Council denied the developer's requests to rezone the lot.
It is unclear why it was demolished or what will be replacing the historic building at this point as the developers mentioned that the land is zoned for "a Home Depot" or something similar, as it is zoned as a C-4 — Commercial District.
The Avalanche-Journal reached out to OJD Engineering on Thursday requesting comment, but did not immediately hear back.
The Tech Terrace UNIT neighborhood association, which had opposed previous efforts to transform the site to large student housing developments, released a statement Thursday in response to the demolition.
“As we have we have indicated in the past, we are in favor of development," the statement reads. "The primary concern is for development that is appropriate for the neighborhood. We have no idea what the plan is now beyond demolition. “
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Godbold demolished as historic Lubbock building, early hospital razed
