Over my first year of MSHP, I had the fortunate experience to look at one building for a series of projects.  The Muncie Hospital was my main focus  for  a number of weeks and I came to really look forward to when the building would find a re-use.

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Built in 1891, The Munice Hospital and Invalids Home was the first hospital in the Muncie, Indiana.  The hospital was started by a married doctor team, Dr. Emmer A. (E.A.) Whitney and Dr. William D. (W.D.) Whitney.  Dr. W.D. Whitney acted as the superintendent and Dr. E.A. Whitney acted as the matron of the hospital.  The Muncie Hospital and Invalids Home was situated on 515 South Council Street.  The hospital, like their first practice in Muncie, was also their residence that he shared with his wife, Emmer, until her death on May 29, 1919.   Between 1891 and his death in 1924, Dr. William D. Whitney had treated hundreds of Muncie persons and those from surrounding territory were treated at the Muncie Hospital.



Unfortunately like so many abandoned buildings, squatting and criminal activities happen in unclaimed building.  In May 2012, Muncie Hospital caught on fire and burned to the ground.  

National Register Criterion C: Design/Construction – Munice Hospital and Invalids Home

The architectural description is a necessary step in documenting the significance of a building.  Without the narrative to a National Register Nomination, a building would just be an interesting or beautiful building.  It is through the description on learned its history, its builder or architecture, its style and form, and its significance to the neighborhood and town in which it resides.