Abandoned hospital in Mississippi
Taborian Hospital, Mound Bayou Mississippi
Mound Bayou was founded in 1887 by former slaves as an example to other African Americans in the South of the benefits and rewards of self-determination and self-government. This society developed independently and offered its citizens the benefits of full participation in the social, economic, and governmental aspects of the community. Service organizations were gaining in strength across the nation at this time, and the Knights and Daughters of Tabor was a strong and influential group in the black community.
As the Order grew in number and strength, the members began to wish for a Temple in which to house their headquarters. However, at the same time, the leaders of the group realized the plight of the black inhabitants of the Delta, and their increasing need for good medical care in the segregated South. A vote was taken of all the members, and the overwhelming result endorsed the building of a state-of-the-art hospital in Mound Bayou.
Construction of the Taborian Hospital was undertaken by McKissack and McKissack Construction Company of Nashville, Tennessee, a black owned and managed construction company. Work began on the hospital in 1940, and the building was opened to the public on February 12, 1942. Fully certified by the State Department of Health and the Mississippi Commission on Hospital Care, the hospital had modern equipment and competent doctors in residence. The facility could easily minister to fifty-two patients, and many more in emergency situations. It was the only hospital in the Mississippi River Delta that served African Americans without prejudice for many years, and continued to serve the rural populace even after legal segregation was abolished.
The Taborian Hospital functioned until 1982, when a number of state hospitals were closed due to lack of accreditation and the concentration of doctors in larger and more modern hospitals in urban areas. The Knights and Daughters of Tabor still own the building and are currently exploring adaptive reuse of the structure.
Building Description
Facing west, on the edge of the downtown area of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, the Taborian Hospital is located at the northeast comer of the intersection of United States Highway 61 and Mc Ginnis Street. Built between 1941 and 1942, the hospital is a one-story, Art Deco Style, irregularly-massed, brick building. The roof is obscured by a parapet wall capped by cast-concrete coping and the roof-line is pierced by a large smokestack. Poured, concrete belt-courses also run the perimeter of the building both above and below the windows on all elevations of the building. Some original, metal awnings remain over the window openings. The structure rests on a concrete foundation.
The western (main) elevation of the building is U-shaped with two wings extending toward the west. The facade is approached by a concrete walkway which leads to a central, semi-circular portico with a stepped Art Deco cornice. The original entrance under the portico is obscured by plywood sheets, although the original, metal, double-leaf doors are intact underneath. Windows on the primary facade are three-over-three, double-hung, metal sash. The placement of the windows on the facade is symmetrical from the portico with three grouped windows, two ganged windows, and one single window. The extending wings have five, ganged windows on the facade which are filled with eight-over-eight, double-hung, wooden sash. Both the interior and exterior elevations of the ells have two windows which are ganged, containing the same sash configuration as the facade, and four single windows which are filled with three-over-three, double-hung, metal sash.
The eastern elevation of the building has a central and northern projecting ell. This elevation has few openings, but ganged, casement windows are located on the northernmost ell, although they are obscured by plywood. A few small, casement windows are found on the eastern and northern elevations. Doorways on all elevations are filled with metal, flush doors.
The hospital is divided into multiple rooms according to past function and need. The two ells on the western facade are large rooms, with summer porches on the westernmost ends. The ells on the eastern elevation housed the cafeteria in the southern ell and the operating room in the northern ell. All other rooms are divided into smaller spaces. The interior walls are finished in plaster, the ceilings with dropped tiles, and the floors with asbestos tiles.