HPL's service noted in bid for National Register status

Huey P. Long Medical Center's 75 years of meeting health needs are being emphasized by those seeking to have the Pineville hospital added to the National Register of Historic Places.

"A large portion of our adult and pediatric population in Central Louisiana has utilized this facility for their healthcare needs and would, in some cases, have found it impossible to access another facility," Pineville Mayor Clarence Fields said in a letter in support of the HPL building joining the National Register.

Fields, who was born in HPL, is among the area officials and residents sending comments to the National Park Service, which is considering whether HPL should be on the National Register.

Written and faxed comments about the significance of the HPL building are being considered. The comments should be submitted by Wednesday.

A state review panel has unanimously recommended to the National Park Service that HPL be on the National Register, and receipt of public comments is the last step before a final decision is made, according to Paul Smith of Historic Preservation Consulting in Alexandria.

The Historical Association of Central Louisiana hired Smith to do the research and paperwork needed in trying to achieve National Register status for the HPL building.

HPL opened as a state charity hospital in 1939. The state closed it on June 30, 2014, as part of the privatization of charity health-care services.

Smith has said a decision on adding HPL to the National Register is expected next month, and he is "very optimistic."

Although the hospital was called Huey P. Long Medical Center when it closed, it previously was called Huey P. Long Memorial Hospital, which is how the National Park Service refers to it concerning the nomination to the National Register.

Attaining National Register status would not ensure that the HPL building would not be torn down, but it would provide tax incentives that would make it more attractive to re-use the building rather than raze it. The building is owned by the state, which has not announced plans for its future.

Helen Moore, who is on the board of the Historical Association of Central Louisiana, is helping spearhead an effort to have residents submit comments to support HPL joining the National Register.

In the letter she sent to the National Park Service, Moore said, "As a resident of Pineville for 85 years, I heartily endorse putting Huey P. Long hospital on the National Register. It is a landmark of our city and the entire Central Louisiana area. It is a beautiful building in excellent condition."

Moore, who noted in her letter that she worked at the hospital as a registered dietitian for 27 years, also wrote, "With the tax relief incentive, I strongly feel a use will be found."

Charles K. Charrier, president of the Historical Association of Central Louisiana, wrote in his letter: "Please note that I am 100% in favor of the Huey P. Long Memorial Hospital being placed on the National Register. This building is an integral part of Central Louisiana's history."

Charrier also said friends of the hospital and his association "are working toward adaptive reuse of this notable Central Louisiana Landmark."

Ed Crump Jr., secretary-treasurer of the Coughlin-Saunders Foundation, wrote, "The Huey P. Long Memorial Hospital was built in 1937, so at my age of 73 years old and counting, it has been there all my life. It is clearly a historic Landmark for the City of Pineville."

Crump also said, "There are a number of individuals and organizations working for the best reuse of this facility. National Register Status would go a long way to bringing that to fruition."

Dr. Tom Jones of Alexandria said his letter pointed out that "thousands of patients who couldn't afford medical care have been treated there at no cost for decades."

Jones, a retired periodontist, also noted HPL was a teaching hospital where hundreds of doctors were trained.

Comments about HPL's nomination to the National Register may be mailed via the U.S. Postal Service to: National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, 1849 C St. NW., MS 2280, Washington, DC 20240. Comments sent through other carriers should be sent to: National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, 1201 Eye St. NW., 8th floor, Washington, DC 20005.

Faxed comments should be sent to 202-371-6447.

Moore said local officials submitting letters on behalf of HPL included Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy and Rapides Parish Sheriff William Earl Hilton, as well as Fields.

Moore's letter said it'd be a shame if HPL was torn down.

"Our society has become a throw-away society," Moore wrote, "and many fine public buildings have been destroyed in the name of progress. I urge you not to let this happen to this grand old dame."