Only weeds occupy the stately stone structure that once housed the largest hospital in the Southeast serving African-American patients.

But soon, walls and windows will be built within the three-story shell of a building at State Street and Oakwood Avenue in East Raleigh. A roof will top it, and doctors, nurses and medical students will again roam its halls to aid the ill in downtown Raleigh. Ivy climbs up the outside wall of St. Agnes.

Ten-year-old plans to restore the 104-year-old St. Agnes Hospital building will finally take shape this year, say leaders of St. Augustine's University and TradeMark Properties.

The university and development group have signed an agreement to move forward with a $4.5 million project, which includes constructing a new building within the existing concrete shell along with an additional structure to house elevators, a lobby and restrooms.

When complete in 2014, St. Augustine's will offer its first graduate-level degree program in the building. Students in training to become physician assistants will get clinical experience serving patients in a new urgent care facility, likely to be operated by Rex Healthcare.

(Raleigh Public Record, 3/18/13)

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