Southern Pacific Hospital Turned Mercy Family Plaza, 1. Editorial Photo

When the railroads were building their massive networks connecting the expanding America in the early 20th contrary, the workers could get sick or seriously injured in some very isolated part of the country without medical help. This was causing problems not just for the individual, but the whole crew, as it was causing shortages of workers. The railroads then started to build hospitals and bring in doctors and nurses, with the workers having the option to have a payroll deduction to go to those doctors and hospitals. This is the root of our employer based health care system we have today. The original San Francisco Southern Pacific Hospital was destroyed in the earthquake and fire of 1906, this new one was built in 1908, and made to be fire proof. As the use of railroads declined, so did the need for their hospitals, and it was closed completely in 1974. Finally, the Sisters of Mercy from the nearby Saint Mary`s Hospital bought the abandoned building, and after extensive remodeling, reopened it in 1981 as Mercy Terrace, the 158 apartment units just for seniors. This is now the oldest, intact hospital building in San Francisco. In addition to the hospital itself, there were four additional buildings for the complex. This one was originally used as the social hall for the hospital, is now part of the Mercy Family Plaza part of the complex with four separate family apartments.