Sent on behalf of Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
Goodbye, pink-and-green 1980s-era flooring and walls; hello, demolition zone.
Since the BJH lobby construction barriers changed last month, the main floor lobby is unrecognizable behind the walls. By the end of October, all the lobby work will be finished, and the detours will end. In the meantime, the section of the north/south corridor near Mallinckrodt is expected to open by the end of June, concluding the Link detour.
The lobbies on both the street and main levels will have the same bright flooring and walls as the sections that have already been remodeled. Current work includes the walls and flooring around the main level Central and Express elevators. The escalators are being removed and will be replaced with a wide staircase, similar to those in the garage lobby and near the new Plaza West Tower, with a glass sculpture hanging from the ceiling. These sculptures are both beautiful in appearance and serve as landmarks to aid wayfinding, like the old fountain.
Disassembling the escalators is a long, challenging process. Some fun facts about them:
- The escalators were designed in the late 1960s as part of the East Pavilion project to modernize and expand inpatient services. (see the floor plans for the building)
- The escalators and the East Pavilion opened in 1973. The West Pavilion opened in 1978.
- The escalators have likely carried more than a billion patients, visitors, employees and physicians during their 53 years of service (based on 500 individuals per day, this estimate may be low).
- The steps on an escalator are individual – not connected to one another. Contractors are removing one step at a time from the escalator sides.
- A series of gears, chains, wheels and tracks, together powered by a motor, moves the individual steps of the escalator.
- The handrail is driven by a separate chain system.
- It will take 4-5 weeks to disassemble and remove the escalators from the site.
