Habitat for Humanity St. Ann Project
Highland Church of Christ, in partnership with Habitat of Humanity Abilene, has committed to sponsoring the first three of the planned 11 houses for low to moderate income families on land that was formerly home to St. Ann Hospital. Rosten Callarman, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Abilene, said other individuals or groups are being sought to sponsor the remaining houses. Sponsorships can be split among several groups. For more information or to sign up for a sponsorship, contact Callarman at rosten@habitatabi.org or call (325) 670-0489.

By Loretta Fulton 

After years of speculation, the site of the old St. Ann Hospital is getting a new purpose, thanks to Habitat for Humanity.

The land, at North 13th and Cypress streets, has been cleared, and utilities and roads will be added next, said Rosten Callarman, executive director of Habitat For Humanity Abilene. 

“The engineers tell me we’re still on track to start framing homes in January.” Callarman said.

Rosten Callarman

Parkhill architect’s drawing of planned housing development at the site of the old St. Ann Hospital

The old hospital had been owned by CitySquare, a nonprofit that served low income residents in Dallas, before it closed in December 2024. CitySquare, in partnership with Highland Church of Christ, had planned to build 35 housing units for the homeless in Abilene. But a fire in April 2017 heavily damaged the building and another in October 2022 burned it to the ground.

St. Ann Hospital in the 1940s. Photo from The Portal to Texas History, provided by McMurry University

Since then, Highland has committed to building the first three of 11 homes for low to moderate income families. Each house will be a single-family residence with floor plans ranging from 1,300 to 1,500 square feet. Parkhill is the architect for the project. 

St. Ann was founded in 1940 by the Sisters of Divine Providence as a maternity hospital. After closing in 1968, the property had several owners before lying vacant for many years. 

Loretta Fulton is creator and editor of Spirit of Abilene