Providence Court, previously St. Luke's Hospital, is a historic former hospital building at 379 East Street in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfieldâ ...
. The
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...
building was constructed in 1926, and was the first Roman Catholic hospital in
Berkshire County
Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...
. St. Luke's merged with Pittsfield General Hospital in 1967 to form
Berkshire Medical Center
Berkshire Medical Center is a private, non-profit 302-bed community teaching hospital in Pittsfield, Massachusetts affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
History
The hospital's history goes back to the original House of M ...
, in the nation's first mergers between religious and non-sectarian hospitals. The building was converted into elderly housing in 1978–1981. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1987.
Description and history
Providence Court is located on the north side of East Street (
Massachusetts Route 9
Route 9 is a major east–west state highway in Massachusetts. Along with U.S. Route 20 (US 20), Route 2, and Interstate 90, Route 9 is one of the major east–west routes of Massachusetts. The western terminus is near the center of the cit ...
), several blocks east of Pittsfield's central business district. It is a five-story brick and stone structure, in a T shape with a horizontal block at the front and a long projecting wing to the rear of the center. It is basically Colonial/Georgian Revival in character, with limestone trim that includes corner quoining, window sills and keystones, and belt courses. The ground floor, essentially a raised basement, is finished in rusticated limestone, while the upper floors are predominantly in brick. The main entrance, set between the first and second levels, is sheltered by a limestone portico with Tuscan columns.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of
Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
decided in 1916 to establish a hospital in Pittsfield, and dedicated a facility in two converted residences the following year. This space proving inadequate, the diocese purchased the Allen estate on East Street, and converted
the estate house into a maternity ward. The present building was constructed on the grounds of the former Allen estate between 1923 and 1926, to design by ecclesiastical architect
John W. Donohue of Springfield. It was operated as St. Luke's Hospital until 1967, when it was merged with Pittsfield General Hospital to form what is now known as
Berkshire Medical Center
Berkshire Medical Center is a private, non-profit 302-bed community teaching hospital in Pittsfield, Massachusetts affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
History
The hospital's history goes back to the original House of M ...
. The Pittsfield General facility was enlarged in 1976, and this building was closed. It was purchased by the local housing authority in 1978, and has been converted into elderly housing.
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See also
*
References
External links
Providence Court at the Pittsfield Housing Authority
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Berkshire County, Massachusetts