The hospital's smokestack, added in 1933, will be demolished to restore the building to its 1899 appearance. (John Milner & Associates)

A Kentucky hospital that has survived two tornadoes since it was built in 1851 will withstand another today.

The exterior renovation of the long-vacant U.S. Marine Hospital in Louisville, Ky., began last week after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 11.

Designed by Washington Monument architect Robert Mills, the Greek Revival building is one of the country's 2,300 National Historic Landmarks. The three-story building, owned by the local Metro Health Department, has been empty since 1975. Its state of disrepair alarmed the National Trust, which named the hospital one of America's 11 Most Endangered Places two years ago.

"That sort of built a fire under it and brought it to the public's attention," says Rick Bell, executive director of the Louisville-based U.S. Marine Hospital Foundation, established last year to raise money for the building's exterior and interior restoration. "It's one of those few top-10 lists you want to get off of."

During the year-long exterior phase of the project, workers will demolish the building's 1933 smokestack, install a new roof, and reconstruct its missing cupola and wooden shutters. The state historic preservation office helped secure grants for the $9 million project from the Department of Transportation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Save America's Treasures.

Last year, with a grant from the Kentucky Humanities Council and private donations, hospital supporters restored four rooms to be used for museum displays or social events.

The U.S. Marine Hospital is scheduled to reopen next year as an interpretive and educational center.

Want Today's News headlines delivered to your e-mail box? Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter >>