Who doesn't drive by the old hospital and long for the restoration of such an old beauty? Well, it is happening. New owners, Jim and Joanne White are taking it room by room, and they have beautified the old place beyond recognition.
Jim and Joanne, originally from North Eastern Oregon, are retired restoration experts. They spent their working career doing upholstery, restoring old furniture, and old houses. Jim is a military veteran, and met Joanne when he was working for her father. They would go on hunting trips together, and the evidence of many hunting trips is the many horns in their family room. Jim is also a record enthusiast, and has a room dedicated to record albums. He currently has a working antique jukebox, and about 4000 records in his collection. Joanne writes poetry, including a poem she wrote about her home, included at the end of the article.
Wanting to move near their daughter who bought a home in the Lavina area, they started looking for real estate and found the old hospital. They had restored two other houses, but nothing this big. They were excited to have a big house to have all of their family and grandchildren visit, as the hospital has six bedrooms. They fell in love, and bought it "sight unseen". This was an error in planning, as the photos did not portray the full number of damages and vandalism that had taken place to the old building. The home had been spray painted by vandals in every room, the windows were all broken, and the damage to the room was causing serious damages. To further create difficulty in their plans, Jim had a stroke after they had closed on the hospital and hadn't yet moved. Daunting as it was, they were still fully committed to the move. Knowing that most of the restoration would be on her shoulders during Jim's recovery, Joanne blazed on.
When they arrived at Roundup to their new acquisition, Joanne explains that there wasn't even a livable room. They set mattresses up on the floor on the first room on the main floor, and had a workable kitchen and bathroom on the main floor, but the rest of the house was unlivable. Members from the church helped them build access to the back door, as it was unsafe to walk out of. After gutting the upstairs, Joanne and her kids went on to replace all of the windows as they had all been broken, followed by the roof, and all new electrical and plumbing in the upstairs. Joanne then hired help for the repairs that she was not able to do on her own. They have remodeled the kitchen and most of the house after two and a half years, but still have many projects left.
A year ago, her sister-in-law moved into the basement, which has been remodeled into a one-bedroom apartment. There is an entrance for the apartment from the outside, and the inside of the home. Joanne loves having her extended family live there, and they are one big happy family.
Jim and Joanne love the home, and are very welcoming. They have had many people stop by to tell them that they were either born there, or they knew someone who had been. Joanne would like to put out a message that if anyone has information and photos of anyone who was born or died in the hospital, that they send the information, or bring it by, as they are hoping to create an album for visitors. The Whites have heard that there are ghosts, but they don't feel that there is any evidence of that. They have never felt anything but peace while being in the house.
This House Had a Broken Heart
By Joanne White
I was searching for a home when I first viewed this house,
It called to my heart, and I quickly called my spouse.
I couldn't look at it without feeling hurt,
Looking at the crumbling roof and all the years of dirt.
Windows were boarded and shutters falling apart,
I couldn't help but think this house has a broken heart.
Left alone and abandoned for many, many years,
Vandalized and abused it brought my eyes to tears.
I heard the house was haunted and I wish it were, I do,
Because it wouldn't be so lonely if it had a ghost or two.
Well, now the journey has started,
And we're making this house our home,
It will never again be empty, never again alone.
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