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The Pavilion was part of the original campus of Rhode Island Hospital and was built by architects Stone, Carpenter and Willson in 1900. It was one of the only survivors from the original campus. When it was included on the 2014 Most Endangered Properties list, PPS argued that its loss would be devastating to the hospital’s sense of history. The Pavilion was constrained by HVAC gear and modern construction, such as the Ambulatory Patient Center that was built in 1973.

Opened on May 2, 1900, the Southwest Pavilion cost $175,000 and contained a children’s ward, playroom and various wards and departments for female patients. Most significantly, it was home to the first well-equipped, spacious pathology laboratory specifically designed for the purpose.

After completion of the new Main Building for RI Hospital in 1995, the original hospital building which it abutted was torn down, leaving only the Southwest Pavilion standing. It has been added on to and renovated in a way that disregarded the historical features over the last several decades, and it wound up in an extreme state of disrepair. The upper floors of the building were no longer in use when the owner, Lifespan, engaged consultants to conduct a feasibility study to consider all options for the building, not excluding demolition. The results of this study showed that the building contains necessary components to the hospitals maintenance that prevent the building from being demolished. However the building still remains underutilized and threatened by additions and repairs.

LOST: The Pavilion was demolished over a course of several months in 2014-2015.

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