A determination about the Yorktown Memorial Hospital building’s safety will be decided by city officials later, according to a statement issued by Yorktown Mayor Bill Baker.
Baker issued the statement in response to a press release by building owners Fred and Steve Garza-Guzman, who said a recent comprehensive structural evaluation performed by a licensed engineer found the 75-year-old building to be “sound, stable and safe for its current use.” The owners give paid paranormal tours of the building due to speculation by them it is haunted.
Baker said the owners commissioned a structural evaluation as required by the City of Yorktown that is under review by city officials.
“Once the structural evaluation has been reviewed in full and the City of Yorktown contracted building inspectors have signed off on previously revealed issues, the determination will be made as to the safety of the facility,” Baker said. “To date, the City of Yorktown has no updated position on the safety of the building other than originally disclosed.”
Late last year, a city building inspector declared the building “liable to partially or fully collapse.” The city’s report included 54 photographs of deteriorating conditions inside and outside the building at 728 W. Main St. in the determination it was a public nuisance that “violates the standards as provided by the Substandard Building Ordinance of the City of Yorktown.”
Baker added in the statement that city officials in Yorktown had worked diligently to have a positive relationship with the current owners of Yorktown Memorial Hospital and hoped to continue that relationship for the foreseeable future.
Baker said that the recent PBS travel show The Daytripper that featured Yorktown Memorial Hospital and other sites in Yorktown and Nordheim concerned him somewhat. Steve Garza-Guzman was filmed saying he has seen a ghost in the hospital.
“While I did find the show interesting and was appreciative of the Yorktown emphasis, I admit to being disappointed in the tone of the show regarding Yorktown Memorial Hospital,” Baker said. “While certainly the hospital building is old and a part of our history, in no way is it considered haunted nor is it considered historical. Simply put it is an old building that is a part of our landscape.”
