Art features

Stained Glass Window

The hospital's crown jewel, the 15-foot circular stained glass window featuring the Mercy cross, was designed and built by Jennifer and Olof Pierson of Fair Grove.

The result of stacks of color sketches and more than two years refining the initial design, the final image is that of a deep blue cross on a sunburst field of radiant yellow. Merry Go Round Stained Glass Center in Springfield supplied the materials for the window. The frame for the window and interlocking panels was built by Frank Wrenn, a blacksmith whose shop is next door to the Piersons' home.

Olof initially made templates to follow in marking and cutting the many glass panes of various shapes and colors in each section of the circular window. The completed window has 16 different panels with an average of 24 pieces of glass per panel. Lead and zinc channels are used to hold the panes in place. Olof and Wrenn installed the window March 27 and 28 in preparation for the April 19 grand opening.

Statues and Sculptures

¢ A St. John of God statue, which originally was set in limestone above  the original entrance, is now nestled in a niche constructed from limestone from the original building and sits in the west lawn of the tower.

¢ A bronze statue of Sisters of Mercy foundress Catherine McAuley sculpted by Sr. Marie Henderson, RSM (Religious Sister of Mercy) graces the lobby. The statue stands on a base of marble from the original lobby. A watercolor of Sr. McAuley that was painted by Sr. Henderson appears in a history wall in the lobby.

¢ A statue of Jesus taken from the west lawn of the old entrance now appears in the west courtyard. A large granite ball that floats and turns in a pool of water accents the same courtyard with the brick pavers at its feet.

¢ The large sculpture of a Mercy cross commissioned by local artist Russ RuBert, who also designed the Eternal Flame in the St. John’s Cancer Center, once again adorns the circle drive entrance.

Carvings

¢ Limestone carvings featuring an archway, a loaf of bread, a pitcher of wine and a basket of fruit add character to a brick wall in the east courtyard of the tower. The carvings were removed from the original entrance, stored during construction and reinstalled in the new tower courtyard.

¢ Two marble carvings that convey “Life” and “Knowledge” mounted on green marble from the hospital’s original lobby adorn facing walls of the Catherine McAuley Conference Center.

Marble

¢ Those who remember or have seen pictures of the hospital’s original 1952 lobby (pictured at right) may recall the green and ivory Italian marble that covered its walls and floor. Construction to remove the staircase entrance and create a new ground-level covered entrance and circle drive in 1979, resulted in the 1952 lobby becoming the McAuley Room, which served as a conference room.

When construction for the Patient Tower began in 2005, the marble was removed from the McAuley Room and stored under tight security. As construction wrapped up on the Patient Tower, this priceless marble was brought out of storage, restored and used throughout the first floor of the tower to accent various rooms and art pieces, such as the Catherine McAuley Conference Center rooms, the base around the bronze Catherine McAuley statue in the new lobby and the wayfinding signs at two locations in the new lobby.

Walls

¢ The history wall, which runs along the east wall of the Catherine McAuley Conference Center, tells the story of the Sisters of Mercy in the mid-1800’s and continues St. John’s history from 1891 through today. The history wall is accented with Celtic lettering in the spirit of the Irish heritage of the Sisters of Mercy.

¢ A donor recognition wall in the lobby features multiple layers of slumped glass and a stained glass window designed by Waters-Hill to complement the larger version on the eighth floor.

¢ A 2006 employee photo contest resulted in more than 250 images selected to adorn the walls of the nursing floors of the Patient Tower. Dwaine Crigger of Missouri State University’s Art and Design Department is St. Johns’ art curator and personally logged, categorized, selected and framed all of the art and photographs used throughout St. John’s. Crigger has also worked with professional artists in the region to obtain their work for display in the Patient Tower and other St. John’s facilities, including the Piersons, mentioned above. Professional art pieces on display at St. John’s include watercolor and oil paintings, photography, quilts, sculptures and mixed-media pieces.

Flags

¢ A flag row including 23 flags is being reinstalled in the garden area of the south parking lot in front of the tower. A special commemorative flag for the tower’s grand opening was designed by 16-year-old Nick O’Neal, the son of St. John’s employee Myra Halstead.