Doors to the former Parkland Memorial Hospital have officially closed, signifying the start of a 24-month process that will end with the building's complete removal from the site.
The facility welcomed its first patient on September 25, 1954, and kept its doors open for 61 years.
The former hospital also happens to be where President John F. Kennedy died, even though it was never designated a historical site. On August 16, 2015, the last patient was wheeled out of the old into the new and improved Parkland hospital.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
Beck - EJ Smith, the joint venture handling the demolition, estimates that it will be completed by November 2023, accounting for removing hazardous materials on site and the piece-by-piece removal.
Grady Portis, Sr., 60, has a special connection to the building. Not only was Portis born in Parkland, but it was also his place of employment for a little over 20 years.
"It's a little sad that the building is coming down," Portis said. "There's so much history. I can remember my grandmother bringing me to the Emergency Department when I was just a kid and had gotten hurt. On my last birthday [in March], I went up to the Labor & Delivery area and thought 'this is where my life began!'"
Still Portis understands that no building can last forever.
Over the years, the building has become unsuitable for safe healthcare treatment.
Parkland's Senior Vice President of Support Services John Raish says it's time to "make room for a building that is projected to save the Dallas County taxpayers about $3.4 million in annual lease costs."
