Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
ST. ANTHONY'S HOME FOR THE AGED
ST. ANTHONY'S HOME FOR THE AGED. In 1897 the Insane Asylum of West Dubuque, operated by the SISTERS OF MERCY, was expanded into St. Anthony's Home of the Aged. The site on Asbury Road gradually was unable to handle the number of patients, and on March 1, 1911, ground was broken for a new building on land just west of Mercy Hospital.
The new building, with wards and private rooms to accommodate three hundred patients, was fireproof and boasted sound-deadening construction. The southern half of the building was reserved for women. The men's quarters were located in the northern half, and sun porches and verandas were located on each floor. The estimated cost of the building was $225,000.
As a result of a $3.5 million development plan submitted to the Sisters of Mercy in the late 1960s, consolidation was planned between Mercy Hospital, ST. JOSEPH'S SANITARIUM, and St. Anthony's Home for the Aged. At the time of the study, St. Anthony's was operating at an estimated $250,000 annual loss.
In 1970 the State Department of Health declared that custodial care facilities were not suited to a hospital setting. Mercy officials then began looking for alternative sites to accommodate the last eighty-five elderly residents. It was believed that by September 1, 1970, each person would find suitable housing.
The 1939 Dubuque City Directory through 1948 Dubuque Classified Business Directory listed 253 Peabody.
The 1959 through 1968 Dubuque City Directory listed 955 Wooten.