SSM HEALTH CARE
Lego aficionado and Madison, Wis.-area middle schooler A.J. Heatley spent six months and used thousands of bricks to construct a Lego replica of St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, circa Sept. 22, 1912. St. Mary's unveiled the model in March as part of its centennial festivities. It is on display at the hospital along with historical artifacts including the hospital's original floor plans. St. Mary's is offering a cash prize to the person who can guess how many Legos Heatley used in building the replica.
Four Franciscan Sisters of Mary traveled to Madison from St. Louis to found St. Mary's hospital, which opened with four physicians, four lay nurses and 70 beds. The campus grew up around the original hospital — that legacy building's facade is still visible among the surrounding buildings — and today St. Mary's is a 440-bed tertiary hospital.
In honor of its centennial, St. Mary's is posting videos on its website, in which community members share how their lives have been touched by the hospital.