The Abandoned St. Joseph Hospital of Lorain Ohio

Out of the many abandoned places I have visited, St. Joseph’s Hospital was one of the strangest. I’m not sure if this was due to the fact that it was so clean, with power still (often they’re a bit more…well…destroyed) or simply the fact that it was a massive abandoned hospital with a very long history.

St. Joe’s was founded initially inside of a house in 1892 by Father Joseph L. Bihn alongside Sister M. Ludmilla Schmidt and Sister M. Antonia Adams. Their goal was to treat children who required immediate surgery, since the nearest hospital at that time was in Cleveland. By 1916, operations had grown, which called for expansion of their center.

Expansions had begun starting with the main section of what would become St. Joseph Regional Health Center. The center continued to operate out of this building for the next 34 years, until another addition was added in 1950, facing West 20th Street.

On September 15, 1994 St. Joseph combined with the Lorain Community Hospital, renaming to St. Joseph’s Hospital. Hospital operations at this location continued for only a few years. The hospital was closed by 1997, as they merged with Mercy Health. The buildings had sat abandoned for a few years before becoming the St. Joseph Community Center, housing local political offices, a community college satellite branch, and a Veterans affairs clinic. By 2013, tenants had grown tired of numerous cooling and heating issues, as well as leaks in the aging center.

The property was vacated entirely, and the center was closed for good. City Council members approved spending of a $1.6 million state taxpayer grant for asbestos abatement, and the original 1916 building was demolished in October 2015.


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