![]()
Remaining concrete of a bridge connecting the nursing school to the hospital | Hailee Mallett | Argonaut ![]()
Drawers, sheets and other items lay around the nursing school | Hailee Mallett | Argonaut
Owners of The Storm Cellar consignment store, Austin and Laura Storm, are in the process of trying to save the abandoned St. Ignatius hospital in Colfax, Washington. They are partnered with the Whitman County Historical Society and Colfax Chamber of Commerce.
St. Ignatius hospital was built in 1893 and has served as a hospital till 1964. It was converted to an assisted living facility until it was fully closed after the year 2000. The building has been abandoned since then.
The old hospital has been placed under the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation category of Most Endangered places. According to their Indiegogo campaign, the building needs repairs as the floors are sagging and replacing the roof is also a major concern.
“It’s difficult to tell how close we are to the ‘point of no return’— major structural failure which would put the building beyond reasonable repair,” the campaign stated.
Through their Indiegogo campaign, the couple has raised $21,580, reaching 43% of their $50,000 goal.
The process for saving St. Ignatius is to take place in three phases: stabilization, ongoing preservation and rehabilitation to repurpose.
“Old buildings are challenging- full of inefficiencies and idiosyncrasies,” the project website stated. “But they are irreplaceable, and because of that they are priceless. They tie us to the past and the future, providing tangible connections to ways of life which are gone and inspiring us to pass that gift on to the next generation.”
The Indiegogo campaign has 38 days left for fundraising. To donate or learn more, visit the “Save St. Ignatius Hospital” campaign.
A full photo gallery of the hospital can be found online at The Argonaut’s Multimedia tab.
Daniel V. Ramirez can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter @DVR_Tweets