The Beacon (Plaque in B Building Lobby)

 In 1933, Mary Hanson Carey donated funds to build a beacon of health lighthouse on the roof of the Julius A. Hanson Memorial Unit. The beacon, dedicated to the servants of religion, medical science, and philanthropy, became a landmark for the hospital. There are still many references to the beacon in the hospital today. The B Building lobby is the location of the beacon’s dedication plaque.   

Long time Indianapolis businesswoman, Mary Hanson Carey showed her love of the city through her philanthropic efforts. In 1929, she donated $500,000 to Methodist Hospital with the stipulation that $200,000 be used for an endowment fund focused on medical research and problem solving. She instructed that the other $300,000 be spent to finance a new hospital building. In appreciation for her gift, Methodist Hospital named the new building in honor of her father, Julius A. Hanson. On May 30, 1933, the Julius A. Hanson Memorial unit opened. It included spacious hallways and large patient rooms. The family of former mayor Thomas Taggart provided funds for an impressive children’s ward and solarium on the fifth floor of the new building. Named the Thomas Taggart Memorial Children’s Floor, the space had bright colorful rooms and play spaces in an effort to provide a comforting environment for the children being treated there. (The Julius A. Hanson Memorial Unit is now part of the B Building).  

The idea for the beacon likely came from Dr. John Benson, President of Methodist Hospital, who had a record of using electric signs to focus the public’s attention on charitable subjects. While pastor of the Union Methodist Episcopal Church in New York City, Dr. Benson installed an elaborate electric neon cross and American flag sign that attracted attention to the church’s dedication to being “always open” to those in need. While superintendent of Riverside Hospital in Columbus, Ohio he had an electric sign installed above the entrance that read “All Healing is Divine.” The beacon was likely modeled after a temporary search light constructed on the roof of Royal Hospital in St. Bartholomew in London, England for a fundraising effort.

Mary Hanson Carey continued her philanthropic interest in the Hanson unit when she donated funds to install a beacon on the roof of the building in 1933. On November 9, 1933, at the dedication ceremony, the beacon was illuminated for the first time. The ceremony took place on the roof of Wile Hall, the adjacent building. During the ceremony officiant, Dr. Jean S. Milner, announced that the beacon is formally dedicated “to the servants of religion, who would serve the sick; to the servants of medical science, who would serve humanity; and to the servants of philanthropy, who would live for others” (Indianapolis Star November 10, 1933). Taking the form of a lighthouse, the beacon stands 80 feet above the roof of the Hanson Unit and 285 feet above the ground. At the time it was built, on a clear night the beacon was visible for 50 miles around the hospital. 

According to hospital lore, Mary Hanson Carey cared so deeply for the beacon that if she noticed it was not lit at night from her apartment at the Marott Hotel she would call the hospital and request that it be repaired.  

As a result of Dr. Benson’s promotional efforts and Mary Hanson Carey’s generosity, the beacon became a beloved symbol of Methodist Hospital for the Indianapolis community and beyond. References to the beacon started appearing throughout Methodist. In 1954, the hospital named its newsletter The Methodist Hospital Beacon with the beacon prominently featured on its masthead. The goal of the four-to-six-page newsletter was to improve communications at all levels of the administration and the public. The Beacon Cafeteria, located on the first floor of the A Building, continues the legacy of the beacon name in the hospital today. If you look closely throughout the hospital, you can find other references to the beacon. 

In the B building lobby there is a plaque about the beacon on the north wall near the entrance. When you leave the building, make sure to look at the rooftop of the B Building to see the beacon on the Capitol Avenue side.  

Reed, Kenneth E. and Leary, Edward A. A History of Methodist Hospital of Indiana Inc.: A Mission of Compassionate Heath Care. Indianapolis, IN, 2007 https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/HIUH/id/556

Newspapers Consulted:

Indianapolis Star 

Indianapolis News

Materials in IU Health Archives Consulted:

Board and Committee Minutes

The Beacon Newsletter