Renaissance Hospital Quietly Closes; Building Plans Uncertain

AUSTIN-The last day at Renaissance Women’s Center Wednesday had been a quiet one, with a handful of hospital employees packing up the final patient records for storage. It’s been almost a month since the last patient walked through the doors at Renaissance.

No plans have been announced for the building. The 10-member Renaissance Women’s Group–which still carries the Renaissance name–has moved into offices in north Austin. Last month the group won a $6.9-million judgment against the hospital owner, Universal Health System, for breach of contract.

When the Rollingwood hospital opened back in 1997, the talk had been about the personal touches behind the hospital and its focus on women’s health issues. Lady Bird Johnson attended the ribbon cutting. More than 2,000 of Austin’s 20,000 babies were delivered there last year.