In 1960, the city of Paducah voted to buy the Katterjohn Building for its new City Hall. That plan never transpired, but the 1919 building, the former Illinois Central Hospital, was saved by George Katterjohn, Jr., a Paducah native and contractor. A successful adaptive reuse project turned the former hospital into medical offices. But that mid-20th century preservation success story faltered by the time a new century unfolded. The last 20 years have not been kind to the building, with a dizzying succession of owners, numerous plans and development possibilities, and damage and neglect to the structure itself. The city now owns the property and plans to demolish it within three to four months.
Postcard view of the Katterjohn Building in Paducah, Kentucky.
I remember the first time I saw the Katterjohn Building, as it came to be known in the second half of the 20th century. I was in Paducah for work and as is my wont, was wandering about taking pictures. I knew nothing about the building but it was historic, expansive, and sprawling, and seemed to sit very, very quietly behind a grassy lawn and mature trees.
The rear elevation of the Katterjohn Building. This is the Jefferson Street side.
Aerial view of the building from its 2020 auction. Image from Chris Colson Auction & Realty, https://colsonsells.com/auction-details/?auctionGuid=df40bcdc-044e-4ed1-8bcd-ec16b675a9ca#gallery
In 1884, the idea of a hospital for railroad employees was conceived by Collis P. Huntington, the owner of the Chesapeake, Ohio, and Southwestern Railroad. Huntington’s improvements to the rail system included construction of the precursor to the Katterjohn Building. The Illinois Central Railroad, chartered in 1851, bought Huntington’s lines in 1893, and retained the hospital.
Image of the front of the hospital, from a 1924 article form the News Democrat.
The frame hospital building burned in 1917, and Illinois Central hired the architectural firm of Richard E. Schmidt, Garden & Martin of Chicago, Illinois to design the replacement. * Two years later, the $165,000 brick Colonial Revival style hospital opened, on the same site as the previous hospital.
Elevation of the facade of the hospital, from the original blueprints by Schmidt, Garden & Martin.
The building’s three story, five bay wide central section fronts on Broadway, and features a two-story portico. The central section of the building contained the lobby, reception and waiting rooms, all laid with Art Marble Tile floors. An office with a switchboard was located in the middle of the lobby; placed behind it were the stairs and elevators.
Detail of the portico on the facade.
Two-story wings extend to the east and the west, with two-story “sun porches” anchoring either end. To the rear (north) was the one-story main kitchen, with segregated dining rooms (and a nurses dining room) to either side of a central corridor.
Rear elevation, showing the kitchen/dining wing extending from the rear of the main lobby/central bay of the building.
In 1924, the “imposing” hospital had 90 rooms, two operating rooms, its own laboratory and X-ray department, laundry, and ice plant. There were eight physicians on staff, and seven additional attending doctors.
Detail of one of the facade windows.
Interior of the lobby – the office and switchboard would have been located behind the central arched opening.
This was the largest hospital in the Illinois Central system between Chicago and new Orleans, but neither its size nor stately elegance could forestall closure in 1957. On May 31, 1957, the Illinois Central Hospital dismissed its last patient and closed the doors forever. While two other hospitals in Paducah would provide needed healthcare, the Illinois Central was special. “There can never be that ‘club’ atmosphere which prompted so many railroad men in search of a good conversation or shop talk to drop around the IC Hospital,” an article in the Paducah Sun lamented.
Interior view, from the 2020 auction of the building. Image from from Chris Colson Auction & Realty, https://colsonsells.com/auction-details/?auctionGuid=df40bcdc-044e-4ed1-8bcd-ec16b675a9ca#gallery
Following an over 40 year second life as an office building. the Katterjohn Building fell into disuse, then disrepair. During the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic, the Katterjohn Building was auctioned off for a sale price of around $10,000. It quickly changed hands, in both cases to out-of-state owners.
I think this detached building housed the laundry for the hospital.
There were glimmers of hope, as possible redevelopment plans were floated, then discarded. And now it seems that there won’t be a last minute intervention – no heir to Katterjohn waiting to step in and save this grand old building. I just hope that whatever replaces it will have as much staying power and contribute as much to Paducah as this building has through two separate phases of use.
*The firm designed over 300 hospitals. https://webapps1.chicago.gov/landmarksweb/web/architectdetails.htm?arcId=13
It is hard to believe that no one in Paducah has the imagination or the funds to re use even some of the main building or part of the main building. There is a desperate need for affordable housing but instead of thinking creatively, these somewhat strong brick buildings get dozed. And another one bites the dust.
With senior housing needs and apartments needed, I don’t understand why the lack of imagination continues to stop reuse proposals aren’t taken advantage of.
As a resident of Paducah, although not of that particular neighborhood, I welcome this building’s demolition and whatever planned use awaits the property. Since moving to Paducah in 1983, I have seen the building’s deterioration and status as a growing detriment to the neighborhood and city in general.