A historic photo from the Western History Center at Casper College shows a handsome two story house with an exact address on S. Durbin and the title “Dr. Lathrop’s Private Hospital”.
It turns out the building on the corner of 10th and Durbin still exists today, though heavily modified. In spite of the modifications, the shape of the house makes it easily recognizable.
A one story addition stretches out behind the house. The original building is empty and uninhabitable. The addition houses two apartments.
Jim Kelly is one of the of the residents of those apartments. He’s lived there since 2009 and, according to Kelly, the main house has been empty for at least that long.
It was originally a private hospital back when traveling doctors were the norm and before the Wyoming Medical Center was built. After its life as a hospital, it was turned into apartment units. A remodel stalled years ago.
According to Kelly, the basement was as a morgue back in its hospital days before the apartment conversion. It’s difficult to say now how renters felt about living in a former morgue.
