Grady Hospital has recently announced plans to demolish historic Hirsch Hall and Feebeck Hall. Hirsch Hall, constructed in 1920-22, was built to house nurses for Grady Hospital’s nurse training program. It was named for benefactor Joseph Hirsch. According to the City of Atlanta’s Urban Design Commission, it contained living accommodations, classrooms, a library and laboratories. The building’s architect, Eugene Wachendorff, also designed Crawford Long Hospital, Booker T. Washington High School and Roosevelt High School. Hirsch Hall’s distinctive design features a classical porch, fan lights over windows, a bracketed cornice and a rooftop portico. It was designated as historic by the City in 1989. Feebeck Hall, constructed two decades later in 1942-44, was also built as a part of Grady’s nurse training program. It was named for a graduate of the hospital’s nursing program and director of nurses, Miss Annie Beck Feebeck. The four story building was designed by the prominent architectural firm Hentz, Adler and Schutze. Built during World War II to rapidly train nurses for the war effort, it is much simpler than most designs by the firm. The only ornamentation on the building is a simple classical door surround – a response to the shortage of supplies during the conflict. In the tornado of 2008, both buildings sustained minor damage primarily in the form of broken window panes. Today, Grady Hospital is using this minimal damage as a reason to replace the buildings. On Wednesday, May 11, the demolition proposal went before the Atlanta Urban Design Commission (AUDC). As a historic building, the AUDC has authority to review and comment on the proposal, but cannot stop the demolition entirely if Grady chooses to proceed. At Wednesday’s meeting, the AUDC stated that they required additional information before they could vote on the matter. YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED TO ASK GRADY TO SAVE THIS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT BUILDING AND REUSE IT RATHER THAN DEMOLISH IT. Please support the Atlanta Preservation Center in our efforts to save the building by signing this petition. Thank you for your support of Atlanta’s history.