A Closer Look at the 16th Floor, the Helipad, and Beyond
The panoramic view from what will be the Executive Conference Room located on the 16th floor of the Adult Hospital tower.
Standing on the 16th floor of the Adult Hospital tower, in the center of what will be the Executive Conference Room, one can not help but wonder what the founders of this campus would think. When the campus was founded in the early 1900s, the San Bernardino Valley was described by John Burden (one of the founders of the campus) as “…one of the fairest, richest scenes in Southern California.”
From the Sanitarium on the hill, one could look down the row of pepper trees that lined Pepper Drive, now Anderson Street. The once quiet pasture land has now given way to roads, freeways, buildings, and yes, a major airport (formerly known as Norton Air Force Base). What a difference 104-years makes!
The two images below depict the change over a 82 year period. Indeed what would the founders of the campus think if they could stand where I stood and look down on the campus and out over the San Bernardino Valley. What a change has taken place. I think back to the spring of 1970, the year that I began my career at Loma Linda, the population of San Bernardino (the city) was 106,869. In 2017, the records show the population doubled to 216,995. As for the city of Loma Linda: In 1970, the population was 9,797, and by 2017, the population nearly tripled to a whopping 24,196.
From the Lens of a Camera — Eighty Two Years of Change
The once lush pasture land, orchards, and farm land have given way to the hammer blows of progress as evidenced by the two images above.
If John Burden was alive to day, I don’t believe he could exclaim, as he did over one hundred years ago, that the San Bernardino Valley is “…one of the fairest, richest scenes in Southern California.” Would he instead say that the San Bernardino Valley is “…one of the most congested, developer busting areas in Southern California/.” So much for progress!! My late mother-in-law, who grew up in and around the San Bernardino Valley could not believe how the once quiet valley had grown. Sometimes she would shake her head in disbelief. Enough demographics other than to say: No wonder Loma Linda University Health has to expand. It must grow to meet the needs of the population.
The last time we took a look around the 16th floor, my ability to walk around was restricted by rebar and other construction material. This visit will be more detailed in that the concrete flooring had been poured and I could wander around.
An expansive view to the north, northeast, south, east, and southeast from the northeast corner of the Terrace Balcony.A view of the northeast corner of the 16th floor Terrace Balcony as viewed from the lift cage 17-stories above grade.This is the view of the Terrace Balcony looking to the west from the northeast corner.The Terrace Balcony as seen through the lens of a camera attached to a GFRC Panel that was being hoisted over the Adult Hospital tower.Looking east: A view of the Terrace Balcony from the Executive Conference Room. The elevator tower is to the south. The Executive Conference room will have a Galley and an Audio Visual room.Facing west: Looking into the Executive Conference Rooms and the Helipad beyond.A spectacular view from the Executive Conference room.The shell of the 16th-floor.Moving to the south into the Elevator Tower. To the left are two patient and two service elevators and to the right are four public elevators.Facing west inside the elevator tower on the 16th floor.Facing west, a a southeast view of the helipad from the elevator tower. The Helipad is approximately 16.5-stories above grade.Facing west through the Helipad decking struts.Facing west, a northeast vies of the helipad from the Executive Conference Room.The Buckling-restrained Braces (BRBs) that support the helipad. The BRBs are part of the earthquake/seismic resistance system. The Helipad as viewed from the 17th floor. The Helipad is approximately 16.5-stories above grade. It sits on the west wing of the Adult Hospital tower between the 16th and 17th floors.A breathtaking view of the west wing, the helipad (lower center half), and beyond from the the northwest corner of the 17th-floor (roof) of the Adult Hospital tower. From this vantage point, the campus appears to arc from the cloverleaf towers of the Medical Center to the eastern side of the mound (lower right corner).
After graduate school Dennis accepted a position at Loma Linda University. He worked there for 42 years in the areas of administration and financial management, also teaching accounting and management to dietetic students at the School of Public Health. Through the years Dennis has chronicled the growth of the campus, including the construction of the Drayson Center and the Centennial Complex and the razing of Gentry Gym. He is the author of "The Mound City Chronicles: A Pictorial History of Loma Linda University, A Health Sciences Institution 1905 - 2005." dEp 09.30.2016 🔨
