1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 30

Old Rex, circa 1940.

 I decided to take a small look at the hospital in which I was born. Rex Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina or Old Rex as folks call it today. Well, as far as I can remember, even my parents called it Old Rex.

      It's also the place where my parents meet. 
     

Original Rex Building.

  
   The hospital was founded in the late 1800s upon an endowment by John Rex, a Raleigh tanner. But litigation over the estate dragged on for half a decade before a court ruled the final request by Rex to be valid. The first Rex hospital was established in 1894. A new version of Rex was finished during the Great Depression and by 1975-76 when my parents meet, it's days were numbered. The building where I was born was finished in 1935 and it moved to it's current locale in 1980. I don't remember ever seeing a doctor in the old facility though I am sure I was taken there for visits up until I was 3. 

Old Rex from a 2016 photo. Used now by the State as
employment offices.

   Today, the hospital building where I was born still stands. It's partially abandoned, though the North Carolina Division of Employment Security occupies some of the grounds. However, that agencies days seem to be numbered as well. The state is looking to sell the buildings along with it's 16-acres to a development firm. As of December of last year, a slew of developers were clamoring to turn the site into a mix of offices and residential units. More than likely, Old Rex will not be renovated but demolished instead.

Entrance to the new Rex ER.
My pediatrician's office would be to the left (not pictured.)

 The NEW Rex still stands today as well and the facility continues to operate serving hundreds if not thousands of patients daily. After being purchased by the UNC Healthcare system sometime around the turn of the 21st century, Rex has opened additional branches in cities far and wide throughout North Carolina. Of note, this current hospital campus is where I had my adenoids removed and tubes in my ears, I've visited the ER for numerous breathing treatments for my asthma and one broken arm and wrist, and it's the last place I ever saw my grand-mama or my mother before both passed away in 1990 and 2003.  

From the 1974 Rex Nursing School yearbook, the Nightingale.
My mom is the person on the bottom right.

      I'm not sure what possessed me to write about Rex. Maybe I miss my parents. Maybe I just couldn't think of anything else to write about. Or maybe it was just time to write about this place. My wife is getting ready to have a major procedure today and maybe the place of my birth has been on my mind because of it.

    No matter what the real reason behind my examination of Old Rex, it remains as the place where this Madman began his journey into turning 40...