The 1970s at WFUBMC

Buildings Completed:
Piedmont 2 (1971)
General Clinical Research Center (1971) - Formerly the Coronary Care Unit
Reynolds Tower (1972)
Ambulatory Care Building (1975)
Meads Hall (1978) - Formerly known as the Family Practice Building
Piedmont 1 (1978)
 
1970s Aerial Photographs
Buildings Timeline
  Piedmont 2 (1971)

 Although Two Piedmont Plaza was built in 1971, the Medical Center did not acquire the building until 1990, along with One Piedmont Plaza.

Piedmont Plaza was the former headquarters of Piedmont Airlines.  The Plaza is not located on the main Medical Center campus, but is only a few blocks away.

Two Piedmont Plaza has 133,000 square feet of space.

This photograph was taken in October of 1991.  Two Piedmont Plaza is on the left, One Piedmont is on the right.
  General Clinical Research Center (1971)

 

 The General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) building was built in 1971, but the facility was first known as the Coronary Care Unit of Baptist Hospital.  The GCRC did not take over the building until 1992.  A NIH grant provided the funds necessary to convert the Coronary Care Unit into the GCRC.

The facility is a one story building tucked behind Progressive Care.  In this undated photograph (probably sometime in the 1970s) the Coronary Care Unit is the single story building with the white roof.  The building off to the right (in the background) is Progressive Care.
  Reynolds Tower (1972)

 

 Reynolds Tower construction was completed in December 1972, and the new building was formally dedicated on May 26, 1973, the same date as the 50th Anniversary of the Hospital.

At the time of its completion, it was the largest structure at the Medical Center. Reynolds Tower is a sixteen-story inpatient care facility with 346 beds covering over 367,000 square feet.

Reynolds Tower received its name from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.  In fact, the tower was initially to be named the Reynolds Foundation Tower.  The Z.S.R. Foundation remains a leader in helping to provide the means necessary for health care, research, education, and community welfare in the state of North Carolina.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation was created when the youngest son of  R.J. Reynolds, Sr., tragically passed away in 1932 at the age of 20.  In 1936 the brother and two sisters of Zachary Smith Reynolds committed their share of his inheritance to a trust that became known as the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.  When Z. Smith Reynolds' uncle, W.N. Reynolds passed away in 1951, he left the bulk of his estate to the Foundation.  The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation provides charitable contributions to organizations in North Carolina.
  Ambulatory Care Building (1975)

 

 The Ambulatory Care Building adjoins Reynolds Tower on the south side.  It is three stories and has 70,000 square feet of space that was used for the emergency department, cancer treatment facilities, orthopedics, radiation therapy, and physical therapy.  When the new emergency department opened, it was considered the most modern in the state.

In this photograph, the Ambulatory Care Building is the shorter building in the foreground.  The photograph was taken on September 27, 1975, so the building is not quite complete here.  Construction ended in December of 1975.

Today, the Endoscopy Suite and the Patient Simulation Lab are located in the Ambulatory Care Building.
  Meads Hall (1978)

 

 Meads Hall, completed in 1978, was originally known as the Family Practice Building.  Meads Hall offers four stories and 112,000 square feet of space.

The Family Practice Building was renamed Meads Hall in 1992 after Dr. Manson Meads, a former dean of BGSM and a former director of the Medical Center.

When the facility opened, it housed the Department of Family and Community Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, employee health, medical social sciences, hearing and speech, medical records, otolaryngology, medical ultrasound, hemodialysis, the computer center, and the Department of Clinics' operations of neurology and neurosurgery.

 
  Dr. Manson Meads

 

 

 Dr. Manson Meads (March 25, 1918 - July 8, 2001)

Dr. Meads came to Bowman Gray School of Medicine in 1947 as an Instructor in Medicine and remained at the school until 1983.  During his career at Bowman Gray, Dr. Meads held the positions of:

  • Chairman, Department of Preventative Medicine (1951-57)
  • Associate Dean (1955-58)
  • Academic Dean (1958-59)
  • Executive Dean (1959-63)
  • Dean (1963-71)
  • V.P. for Health Affairs (1967-83)
  • Director of the Medical Center (1974-83)

Dr. Meads was also active in the Winston-Salem community, holding the position of President of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, among other interests.

The Miracle on Hawthorne Hill is a historical account of BGSM from 1941-1983, written by Dr. Meads.
  Piedmont 1 (1978)

 

 Just like Piedmont Two from above, the Medical Center did not acquire One Piedmont Plaza until 1990.

At the time of purchase, this 171,000 square foot building provided space for administrative and academic offices and certain support services.

This photograph was taken in October 1991, One Piedmont Plaza is the white building on the right.  Two Piedmont Plaza is on the left.

 

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