The hospital where JFK died is coming down

Hospital walls that hold tens of thousands of memories, including a pivotal moment in United States history, will be torn down piece by piece. The City of Dallas is saying goodbye to the former Parkland Memorial Hospital, the place where President John F. Kennedy succumbed to his injuries after being shot by Lee Harvey Oswald on Nov. 22, 1963. The estimated 24-month demolition kicked off Monday, July 11. On Sept. 25, 1954, the 7-story Parkland Memorial Hospital located at 5201 Harry Hines Boulevard first opened its doors. From that moment, the hospital served the Dallas community for 61 years – until the last inpatient was wheeled across the Mike A. Myers Sky Bridge into the newly constructed Parkland hospital on Aug. 16, 2015, the hospital said in a press release.

Among the countless life-safe measures and devastating losses, is also one of the most beautiful things experienced inside the hospital – the moment when a baby shares their first cries entering into the world. Grady Portis, now 60 years old, was born in Parkland and in an interview with the hospital, he shared how much the building meant to him as he also worked there for 22 years. “It’s a little sad that the building is coming down,” Portis said. “There’s so much history. I can remember my grandmother bringing me to the Emergency Department when I was just a kid and had gotten hurt. On my last birthday [in March], I went up to the Labor & Delivery area and thought ‘this is where my life began!’” It’s also the place where lives tragically ended, including the heart-shattering loss of President John F. Kennedy. After being shot by Oswald, Kennedy was transported to “Trauma Room 1” at Parkland, where he was pronounced dead. This forever engraved the site in a significant moment in history. According to the hospital, a “Trauma Room 1” plaque was dedicated to the hospital and was placed in the exact spot of the Trauma Room, which is now located in the Radiology Department. A bust of Kennedy was also donated to the hospital in 2012. Despite its place in history, the hospital was never designated as a historical site.