Flagler Hospital 1937-63
Built in 1909 as Hotel Flagler
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.
Location. 39° 17.5′ N, 103° 4.068′ W. Marker is in Flagler, Colorado, in Kit Carson County. It is on Main Avenue just north of West 3rd Street, on the left when traveling north. The marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the subject building, just to the right of the east/front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 311 Main Avenue, Flagler CO 80815, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Eastern Plains. It is also in the American Mountain West, on the Great Plains, and specifically on the High Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Comancherνa, the Dust Bowl, and
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Flagler Day Air Show Tragedy (approx. 0.3 miles away); Arriba Country (approx. 10.9 miles away).
Regarding Flagler Hospital 1937-63. National Register of Historic Places № 90001421.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by John Valentine and Kathy Trujillo, 4/30/1990:
The Hotel Flagler was constructed in 1909 by W.H. Lavington and his brother-in-law, W.L. Price, to accommodate the growing number of homesteaders and cowboys who worked on the large cattle ranches in the area. W.H. Lavington came to Flagler in 1887 to work on the railroad. Flagler was a stop for the Rock Island Railroad and a shipping point for the cattle and sheep that were raised in the surrounding ranches. Mr. Lavington became the local banker in 1909.The two-story hotel is a vernacular style with a rectangular plan constructed of brick, covered with stucco. The large, flat roofed front porch has wood pillar supports and balustrade enclosing a second story balcony. Originally, the brick building was laid in a header and stretcher bond with the top of the building finished off in Flemish Bond with a single vertical row of brick over the windows. The brick is now covered with stucco. This hotel was the first brick building in early Flagler.
From 1909 to approximately 1930, the building was operated as a hotel. The upstairs had sleeping rooms on either side of a long hallway that ended up opening out into the balcony on the front of the building. The hotel provided first class lodging with meals, baths and accommodations for the families in and around Flagler and travelers on the Rock Island Railroad. The building served as a hotel from 1909 until approximately the early 1930's. The depression and the dust bowl era quickened the hotel's demise.
In 1937, Dr. William L. McBride purchased the hotel and remodeled it into a nine-bed hospital. The remodeling included addition of up-to-date wiring, heating and plumbing systems. The upstairs included nine patient rooms, an operating room, developing room, x-ray room, nursery and a lab room. The floors of the operating room were designed to be grounded and static free. During remodeling, the front porch received a new concrete floor, and the entrance was changed from the front to the south side to provide access for ambulatory patients. Dr. McBride, his wife and a duty nurse (Mrs. Vivienne Williams) lived on the first floor of the building when it was a hospital. The first floor included a waiting area, doctors office, drug dispensary and the living quarters which included living room, dining room, two bedrooms, bath and the nurses living quarters.
In 1963, the hospital went out of business because it was no longer economically feasible to upgrade the facility to the standards that were required during this time. In 1967, the town of Flagler purchased the building and moved the city government offices into the building. Presently, the building is as it was during the time it was a hospital. The town library, Hal Borland memorial room and the city offices occupy the first floor of the structure.
Also see . . . Flager Library.
Excerpt: Located in the Town Library, the Hal Borland Room celebrates the life and accomplishments of author Hal Borland, a Flagler native. The room commemorates the author with artifacts donated by the Borland family among others and includes all of the over 44 books written by Hal. Mr. Borland grew up in Flagler where he began his work as a writer penning articles for the local paper for his father. He later moved on to not only author many books, but he also wrote for the New York Times. He passed away in 1978.(Submitted on September 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 187 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on September 26, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on September 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
