SUMMER 2008
Exterior Restoration of Marine Hospital Wins Top State and Regional Honors

 
  Willis Award Presentation
At a ceremony held in the State Capitol Rotunda in Frankfort, a distinguished panel presented the U.S. Marine Hospital with one of its annual Preservation Project Awards. (left to right) Ann Early Sutherland, of Louisville, a Board member of the Ida Lee Willis Memorial Awards Foundation and long-time friend of the Marine Hospital; Joanne Weeter, historic preservation consultant and former Louisville Metro Historic Preservation Officer; Rick Bell, Executive Director of the Marine Hospital; Chuck Parrish, co-chair of Friends of Marine Hospital and official presenter of the Award; and Mrs. T. William Samuels, Sr., a Board member of the Willis Awards Foundation.
 
 

The first stage of the rebirth of the U.S. Marine Hospital, the Exterior Stabilization and Restoration phase, has received top honors in Kentucky for historic preservation. On May 21, the Marine Hospital earned one of the prestigious Preservation Project Awards from the Ida Lee Willis Memorial Foundation. The awards were presented before a large crowd of leaders of Kentucky’s historic preservation community in the State Capitol Rotunda. Following the formal presentation ceremony, a reception was held in the Governor’s Mansion.

Rick Bell, Executive Director of the U.S. Marine Hospital Foundation, was delighted to receive the award from the hand of long-time supporter Chuck Parrish. Mr. Parrish, historian for the U.S. Corps of Engineers in the Louisville District, also serves as co-chair of the Friends of Marine Hospital. Both were able to provide a brief history of the restoration project to the assembled audience.

The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Kentuckiana presented two of its top Awards of Excellence to the Marine Hospital Restoration project. A “Building America” Construction Award was given to the Marine Hospital, its contractors Schaefer Construction and designer, John Milner Associates. This was one of 16 preservation projects honored by the ABC in 2007.
  The Ida Lee Willis Memorial Award is presented by the Awards Foundation in conjunction with the Kentucky Heritage Council and Preservation Kentucky, Inc. The award is named in honor of the widow of Governor Simeon Willis. She was the first director of the Kentucky Heritage Commission, and a leading early advocate of historic preservation in the Commonwealth.

Two other important recognitions have also come recently. The Associated Builders and Contractors of Kentuckiana (ABC) presented the Marine Hospital Foundation, Schaefer General Contracting and the historic preservation consulting firm, John Milner Associates, with one of their “Building America” Awards of Excellence. At the close of a formal presentation dinner in January, the Exterior Restoration project was honored with the association’s top award, the BKD President’s Award.

All of these awards are currently being displayed on the Fourth Floor of the Family Health Center-Portland.

THE BKD President’s Award recognizes Kentuckiana’s top achievement in construction excellence, and it was presented to the Marine Hospital Restoration project at a January ceremony in Louisville. The Award recognizes innovation, quality and vision of a winning project’s construction team: Contractors, Architects and Owner.
 
     
  The exterior of the National Historic Landmark has been successfully renovated, and plans are being made for the interior phase in the project. Marine Hospital officials are proposing the Center for Community Health Education and Outreach to help improve access to health care training and awareness. The two upper floors of the building could be used to house programs sponsored by local educational organizations. Plans are being made a West Louisville campus for training health professionals in a unique historic setting, creating an incubator for interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Center for Community Health Education and Outreach will house agencies and organizations committed to improving community health, with a special focus on urban underserved populations. Health professions schools and related agencies will co-locate in this “off-campus” setting to coordinate programs which emphasize community based research, community health education and health professions training.

Another important component in the Marine Hospital’s future will be the first floor Heritage Center, which will feature exhibits about Louisville’s rich medical history, the role of the Marine Hospitals in America’s public health and the importance of river commerce to the local economy. Historical discussions, forums and tours will also be an important element in the Marine Hospital Heritage Center. The event is being sponsored by the U.S. Marine Hospital Foundation and the Friends of the Marine Hospital.

For further information, contact Rick Bell, Executive Director, U.S. Marine Hospital Foundation, 2215 Portland Avenue, Louisville, KY 40212. Call 502-772-8328.
  
     
 

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