The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-04-19
THE HOSPITAL.
Full Description Of This Much
Needed institution.

Tho final arrangements have been
made with the architects, Messrs.
holland & oe Sassure, for drawing the
plans of the new city hospital, which
will be, when completed, fine structure
and built according to the latest APP
proved plans. Tho ultimate arrange
ments provide for five ward buildings,
an administration building and laundry
building. AT present the administra-
ton building, two ward buildings and
the laundry will be constructed. They
will be put under contract as soon as
the necessary drawings can be made.
The whole group of buildings has
been staled out on the ground so as to
show the final location, and careful
levels have been made by competent on
gineers SO as to adjust the buildings TO
suit tho grade Of the lot. G.
The lot is a triangular piece OF ground,
bounded by Lake street, Park road and
Bellevue avenue, situated on the west.
ern slope between Mill Mountain and
the water works park. The hospital
will command u splendid view of the
water works park, the city and the
beautiful Roanoke valley.
The administration building will be
four stories high, including the base.
connected with the driveway on Park
road and with the adjoining pavilions
by corridors eight feet wide iDclosed
with glass. The connecting corridors to
Park road will enable patients to be
taken from an ambulance and carried
under cover to the second story of the
administration building, where they
can be carried to the operating room
and to the corridors of the free wards,
or they can be taken directly to the
wards of the pay patients on the second
floor.
The ward pavilions will have high
brick foundations allowing free circula-
ton of air under them for heating and
for ventilation. Tho walls will be Of
wood. The wards will be octagonal in
shape, each pavilion containing two oc.
tagonal wards so arranged that, while
the patients can be separate, tho nurse
can watch both patients.
The Octagonal form of the wards was
adopted because it allows tho greatest
amount of light and air, and every bed
can be the same distance from the fire
in tho center.
There is an allowance of 1900 cubic
feet of air to each bed, and by this ar
rangemcnC Jne sharp corners arc avoided
and the patients heads placed as far
apart as possible, the heads of tho beds
being thirteen feet from center to CEN
ter. The ability to keep the patients
heads far apart, so tho air ach has to
breathe is polluted very little by the
others, is very great sanitary advant-
age.
In the administration building the
first floor is reserved for general admin
istration purposes, physicians rooms,
operating room, dining room. place for
drugs, etc. The second floor contains
the apartments for private pay patients,
FREQ female patients, necessary toilet
rooms, etc. The third floor is used for
nurses rooms. servants quarters, linen
closets, etc.
The matrons' room is on the first floor.
The kitchen, heating and provision
rooms are in the basement, which is
really above ground, as are all the rooms
except the heating and provision rooms.
An elevator, large enough to receive
patient on stretcher, will give easy
access from one floor to another.
The managers of the hospital are very
active and are rushing the work rapidly.