Demolition crews have ended the old McGregor Hospital's 80-year run as a southwestern Utah landmark - but one mourner was there to pay his last respects.
Standing on a sidewalk near the site in the rain and cold Thursday, 76-year-old Lavoid Leavitt said he wanted to see his birthplace one more time before it was reduced to rubble."I realize progress has to be made," he said. "But there certainly are a lot of memories there."
The two-story building, most recently known as the Southern Hospitality Living Center, was St. George's first hospital, serving the region from 1917 to 1952.
The demolition did not please Jay Curtis, chairman of the St. George Historical Society.
"They're tearing (historic buildings) down quicker than we can save them," he said. "We tried to persuade the owners not to tear it down, but we just couldn't do it."