The Queen of Angels Hospital was a

private hospital A private hospital is a hospital not owned by the government, including for-profits and non-profits. Funding is by patients themselves ("self-pay"), by insurers, or by foreign embassies. Private hospitals are commonly part, albeit in varying degr ...

complex located at 2301 Bellevue Avenue in the

Echo Park Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known fo ...

neighborhood of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The 404-bed hospital was founded in 1926 by the

Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart The Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women based in Frankfort, Illinois, and located in the Catholic Diocese of Joliet, Illinois. The Sisters serve in healthcare, education, religious education, pa ...

and built by architect

Albert C. Martin, Sr. Albert Carey Martin (September 16, 1879 – April 9, 1960) was an American architect and engineer. He founded the architectural firm of Albert C. Martin & Associates, now known as A.C. Martin Partners, and designed some of Southern California' ...

The hospital served the local community and ran a nursing school. After its closure, the hospital served as a film set for the local film and television industry. The property was eventually sold to the

Assembly of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

church and is now known as the

Dream Center The Dream Center is a Pentecostal network of community centers in Los Angeles, California, established in 1994. The president of Dream Center is Matthew Barnett. History The organization was founded in 1994 by Matthew Barnett and Tommy Barnett ...

Location

The hospital consisted of a number of buildings, but the iconic main building is known because it looms over the

Hollywood Freeway The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California (the boundaries of which it does not leave) and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route through the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortcut ...

. The hilltop site was chosen for the hospital because it was close to both

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

and

Temple Street A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called church (building), churches), Hindui ...

, and because it was outside

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

History

Seeing a need for quality care in the city, the Franciscan Sisters went as far as begging door to door to accrue money for the hospital. Once built, the hospital kept growing in size by adding wings and new buildings, topping out at 14 stories in height. Due to excess capacity, the operations of the Queen of Angels Hospital were merged with the

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, formerly known as Queen of Angels-Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, is a private hospital located at 1300 North Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The hospital has 434 beds. It is owned by Sou ...

in 1989, becoming known as the Queen of Angels – Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. Due to its proximity to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, several notable people were born (

Michael Reagan Michael Edward Reagan (born March 18, 1945) is an American political commentator, Republican strategist, and former radio talk show host. He is the adopted son of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman. He wo ...

, Bob Beemer,

Harry Crosby Harry Crosby (June 4, 1898 – December 10, 1929) was an American heir, World War I veteran, ''bon vivant'', poet, and publisher who for some epitomized the Lost Generation in American literature. He was the son of one of the richest banking fam ...

, Marcia Reed,

Madeleine Stowe Madeleine Marie Stowe Mora (born August 18, 1958) is an American actress. She appeared mostly on television before her role in the 1987 crime-comedy film ''Stakeout''. She went on to star in the films ''Revenge'' (1990), ''Unlawful Entry'' (199 ...

, Mike Thaler, Victoria Vetri) or died (

Esther Dale Esther Dale (November 10, 1885 – July 23, 1961) was an American actress of the stage and screen. Early years Dale was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. She attended Leland and Gray Seminary in Townshend, Vermont. In Berlin, Germany, she stud ...

John Harvey Gahan John Harvey "Oscar" Gahan (born John Harvey Gerald Gahan; August 20, 1888 – March 24, 1958) was a Canadian child prodigy violinist and actor. Gahan played a performance for the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) at age 5. As a virtuoso vio ...

Linda Loredo Linda Loredo (June 20, 1907 – August 11, 1931) was an American-born actress and dancer of Mexican descent. She is most commonly associated with Spanish language versions of Laurel and Hardy short subjects. Her sister, Maria Loredo (1905–1998 ...

Robert Asa Todd Robert Asa Todd (March 5, 1870 – March 4, 1943) was a California and Arizona journalist who became a member of the Los Angeles City Council in 1898–1904 and then a deputy city attorney for Los Angeles, California. Personal Todd was born on Ma ...

) there.

Kathryn Crosby Kathryn Crosby (born Olive Kathryn Grandstaff; November 25, 1933) is a retired American actress and singer who performed in films under the stage names Kathryn Grant and Kathryn Grandstaff. Life and career Born Olive Kathryn Grandstaff in Wes ...

is among the alumnae of the nursing school.

Sakaye Shigekawa Sakaye Shigekawa (January 6, 1913 – October 18, 2013) was an American physician who specialized in obstetrics. Born to Japanese-American parents, she was imprisoned and forced to live and work at an internment camp in California, providing me ...

was a past president of the hospital.

Tirso del Junco Tirso Del Junco (born April 20, 1925) is an American politician who served as chair of the Republican Party of California, and the head of the University of California board of regents. He is also a former Olympic rower and a medical doctor. Ea ...

was once the medical chief of staff. During its heyday, the hospital was a "centerpiece" of the city's hospital community.

Filming site

In 1951, the exterior was used as the setting for the fictitious Mercy General Hospital in the ''Adventures of Superman'' television series. After its closure, the main building, a Spanish-style hospital complex, was used primarily as a film set. It appeared in a number of productions, including '' Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'', ''

Men Don't Tell ''Men Don't Tell'' is a 1993 American made-for-television drama film starring Peter Strauss and Judith Light. It was directed by Harry Winer. The film first aired on CBS network on Sunday, March 14, 1993. The film was based on the true story of a ...

'', ''Snapdragon'', ''

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invasion ...

'', and '' The Innocent''.

References

External links

* * * *{{cite web , url = https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Queen%20of%20Angels%20Hospital%20-%202301%20Bellevue%20Avenue,%20Los%20Angeles,%20California,%20USA , title = Queen of Angels Hospital, work = Filming Location , publisher = IMDb , access-date= 2019-12-17 Hospital buildings completed in 1924 Hospitals in Los Angeles Buildings and structures in Hollywood, Los Angeles East Hollywood, Los Angeles