DeFUNIAK SPRINGS — Exploring the historic Lakeside Hospital is a bit like stepping into a time machine.
Remnants of a bygone era can be found in almost every corner.
Several rooms still have numbers over the doors as well as the vintage call lights used by patients to alert the medical staff. A dumbwaiter tucked into the wall of the second-story hallway still connects the two floors.
The Florida Chautauqua Center plans to breathe new life into rambling red-brick building on Circle Drive.
The nonprofit group that coordinates the annual Florida Chautauqua Assembly recently purchased the old hospital to serve as its new headquarters.
“It’s a huge step,” said Dennis Ray, chairman of the board of the Florida Chautauqua Center. “We’re going to use every inch of it.”
Ray and his wife, Brenda, and the organization’s founder, Diane Pickett, secured multiple no-interest loans to finalize the purchase of the 11,372-square-foot building.
“We’re also hoping to be eligible for a number of grants,” Ray said.
The building was a hospital from sometime in the early 1930s to the 1970s. It needs a new roof and cosmetic repairs to its front columns.
Ray said he and other Chautauqua leaders want to preserve as much of the old hospital as possible while refurbishing the interior.
“We’re painstakingly and intentionally taking it slowly,” he said. “We’re not destroying or removing anything until we can connect it to its history.”
Ray said many elements, such as the large surgical scrub sinks, numerous bathrooms and even an unused stairway will be kept and restored.
The first task will be to spruce up the exterior, said Christopher Mitchell, president of the Florida Chautauqua Center.
“We plan to cut down overgrown brush around the building, provide some immediate cosmetic fixes to the outside and provide a fresh coat of paint to areas in desperate need of improvement,” he said.
The group already has begun cleaning up the second floor, which was the living quarters for the building’s previous owners. A portion of the first floor is being used as a doctor’s office.
Ray and Mitchell envision the building as a cultural center that will showcase Chautauqua artifacts and documents from the original assemblies from 1885 to 1927.
“We intend to keep a section of the building open for tours, galleries and a multi-purpose exhibition hall for visitors,” Mitchell said.
The building also will house offices and host receptions for the assembly’s annual speakers and visiting faculty.
“This means that we are going to be able to revive many of the functions and traditions of the original Chautauqua,” Ray said. “We’re really excited about the potential it has. We want it to be something the entire community can enjoy.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.