The Ellis Fischel State Cancer Hospital was once a beacon on the Business Loop in Columbia. You could not miss it. It was easily seen from what Mom still occasionally calls “Old Hwy 40”. I grew up in Parkade subdivision, and learned to drive my first car in the hospital parking lot, a stick-shift no less. But this week, there is just a big open space, filled with debris and equipment. The original Ellis Fischel hospital building was affectionately referred to by some as “the birthday cake building” due to the layers which resembled a cake that tapered in at the top.  Ellis Fischel hospital was dedicated on April 26, 1940, and ceased to exist at its original location in June 2023. 

Ellis Fischel hospital opened in 1940 as only the second state cancer hospital in the nation, and it was the first one of its kind west of the Mississippi river. It was state funded with the purpose of providing cancer treatments for everyone in the state, including Missouri’s poorest citizens.  During its first year in operation more than 1,000 patients received treatments, and if you were able to prove that you could not pay for your medical treatments, there were no charges for your care. 

Early in the planning process several locations were considered, but Columbia rose as the top option due to its central location in the state, and due to the fact that the City of Columbia donated 40 acres of land on which to build it. The city also extended the current city limits so the new hospital could use city utilities.   St. Louis architectural firm Jamieson and Spearl designed Ellis Fischell, as well as many of the buildings at Washington University in St. Louis and also Ellis Library, Memorial Union, Faurot Field, Rothwell Gymnasium, Brewer Field House and the President's house at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Originally an 85-bed hospital, the state of the art facility was fashioned with bold stripes so as to be highly visible and alert pilots flying in and out of the nearby Columbia Municipal Airport (It was located where Cosmo Park is today). The airport closed in the 1960’s and relocated to the current site of the Columbia Regional Airport south of Columbia. In the 1970’s the hospital was painted tan.  

The cancer hospital was named after a prominent St. Louis physician, Dr. Ellis Fischel, who was also the first chair of the Missouri Cancer Commission. Dr. Ellis Fischel (1883-1938) was a surgeon from a prominent St. Louis family. Ellis played baseball and attended Harvard and was a classmate to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  His father was a founding member and leading internal medicine physician at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis. His sister was a founder of the League of Women Voters and was a leader in the women’s suffragist movement. His niece, Martha Gellhorn, was considered one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century, and was briefly married to Ernest Hemmingway (wife number three). Sadly, Ellis died in 1938, at the age of 53, in a car accident on his way to a cancer commission meeting. Just two years later his namesake opened. 

In 1968 a “therapy garden” was financed by local Kiwanis members and created on the hospital grounds by the Columbia Garden Club so cut flower arrangements could be delivered straight from the garden to a patient’s rooms. Imagine the “farm to table” concept way before it’s time! 

In 1975 a $7.6 million dollar three-story wing was added to expand outpatient clinics, and to add laboratory space as well as a new operation room suite. The hospital risked closure in the 1980’s, but was saved due to both community outcry and the collaborated efforts between Roger Wilson and some oncologists at the University. In 1990 Ellis Fischel hospital and the University of Missouri merged to combine their strengths in both cancer research and treatments.

In 2010 a new home for the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center began to be constructed as an addition to the current University of Missouri Hospital, and in 2013 it opened for patients. What started as the oldest cancer center West of the Mississippi river continues on in one of the newest state of the art cancer facilities. During all of my visits to and from the Parkade subdivision, I will surely miss the mammoth building in the central city, and all of the history that went with it. 

Written by Chris Creasy

CoMo Preservation is devoted to helping homeowners, landlords, and institutions prevent the destruction of historic architecture. Original period styles might be replicated, but will forever lack the social history of authentic structures. The preservation of historic places and spaces is necessary for Columbia’s residents, students, and visitors to achieve a sense of place and also for our city’s continued economic success. If you would like to join us in our mission there are many ways to become involved including signing up for our newsletter, attending an event, joining our group, or donating monetarily.

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Sources:

• “Ellis Fischel Cancer Center History.” MU Health Care. Accessed July 7, 2023. https://www.muhealth.org/locations/ellis-fischel-cancer-center/ellis-fischel-history. 

• Patston, Matt. “Mizzou North.” Como Magazine, January 25, 2016. https://comomag.com/2016/01/25/mizzou-north-2/.

• “Ellis Fischel Cancer Hospital Ready for Opening.” St. Louis Post Dispatch, 14 Apr. 1940, p. 11.