The Coxe Ward for Obstetrical Cases

The Coxe Ward for Obstetrical Cases. . , Endowed in 1914 an opened in 1917, the Coxe Ward for Obstetrical Cases was one of the original one-story pavilions built at St. Luke's Hospital. It was funded by the widow and son of coal magnate Eckley B. Coxe. Built as the hospital's first obstetrical unit, The Coxe Ward was later used for medical/surgical patients and as an isolation ward. In the 1970s, the building was converted to office space and it was used by various departments until it was closed in 1994. Restoration was completed in 1999. , The one-story pavilion architecture style, otherwise known as the "Nightingale Ward," is a European design initially endorsed by Florence Nightingale. She believed patients would recover faster with direct exposure to sunlight and fresh air. The glass cupola was created as a means of ventilation and to reduce the transfer of disease. The St. Luke's Hospital pavilions were modeled after the original Johns Hopkins Hospital pavilions. The design of earlier St. Luke's pavilions, which was similar to this building, was featured at the Universal Exposition of 1889 in Paris.