Saint Luke's
Hospital was a project of the Episcopal Diocese built as part of an effort
to turn Morningside Heights into an institutional and cultural center.
Flagg's extremely free handling of classical forms in this eclectic
building recalls the design for Engine Company 33.
The architect successfully monumentalized
the everyday functional components of a hospital: vent shafts become
heroically scaled chimneys, restrooms are stacked in corner turrets, and a
central dome actually shelters an operating theater. Open arcades, light
courts and an advanced ventilation system attest to a typical late 19th
century concern for hygiene.