Preserving Memorial’s History – One Brick at a Time

The Centennial Brick Walkway was established by the Memorial Medical Center Foundation in 1997 to commemorate the first 100 years of Memorial Medical Center’s history. It has remained popular not only with employees but also with the general public, as many in our community are touched by healthcare services here.

As the main pedestrian walkway to the medical center for more than 15 years, tens of thousands of people have walked along its path and seen the more than 1,800 names and major life events commemorated by the bricks. Recognizing that joyous births, fond farewells, retirements and many other meaningful life events are captured in the inscribed bricks, we are very sensitive to the brick walkway’s place in the history of our collective community.

On June 20, members of the Memorial Medical Center Foundation partnered with O’Shea Builders to carefully remove the inscribed bricks that make up our Centennial Walkway in preparation for construction that will soon occur in front of the medical center as part of our Advancing Care by Design expansion project. 

The bricks will be stored off-site and reinstalled in a new configuration adjacent to the driveway near the hospital’s main entrance upon the completion of our expansion project in 2016.

Elena Kezelis, executive director of the Foundation, explains the walkway’s history and purpose in the video below.

For more information, visit the Memorial Medical Center Foundation’s website.