Lakes Region General Hospital Addition

Prominently situated on a hilltop site overlooking the city and the adjacent lakes, the Lakes Region General Hospital was enlarged and regenerated in 1970–1971 by the addition of a seven-layered, brick and concrete northeast extension. Designed by architect Bruce Porter Arneill, the new addition brought architectural luster to the quiet undistinguished vocabulary of the existing hospital complex. The plain brick walls are successfully broken and accented by the brick tower masses surrounding the building and employed as vertical passages for stairs, elevators, plumbing, and mechanical equipment. The new addition provided space for eighty-two beds, and relocated x-ray, surgery, obstetrics, administration, kitchen, and dining areas. The sloping hillside serves as an access ramp to service and mechanical spaces located in the lower levels. Because the addition is on the downhill side of the main service units, the upper medical units were tied into the remodeled, older portion of the complex in logical order.