The building is not visible when entering the town from the west, being hidden by medieval buildings and the Saint-Genès church just a few metres away.The Thiers hospital was established in the 17th century as a result of the merger of three pre-existing establishments: the Hôtel-Dieu Vieux de la Charité, founded long ago and administered by the Thiers chapter; the Hôtel-Dieu Neuf de la Trinité, dating from the mid 16th century and administered by the municipality; and the Hôtel-Dieu Neuf de la Charité, dating from the mid 17th century.

[4] In addition to their charitable aspects, hospitals of the time were also used to rid towns of their destitute inhabitants, which was ruthlessly done in Thiers from the very first days of the establishment's operation.

[b 4] The instruction on the regulation of hospitals and hospices, created by ministerial circular of January 31, 1840, placed them under the authority of the administrative commission.

[b 6] Its location on the plain, its size and accessibility - combined with the fact that the Thiers hospital had had a reputation for being an undignified hospice for several decades - meant that Thiers residents soon preferred to seek treatment in the lower town at the clinic, rather than going up to the old hospice in the town center.

Feasibility studies were carried out to extend the hospital into the gardens, but the steep terrain quickly limited this idea.

[b 8] In 1977, when Maurice Adevah-Pœuf, with the support of Dr. Gautier, dethroned René Barnérias as mayor of Thiers, the project to move the hospital was well underway.

The first models were built, and after 9 years' work on various budgets and with the approval of the Board of Directors, the foundation stone of the future Thiers Hospital centre was laid in 1986.

[b 9][b 10] In 1988, a large part of the facility moved to newly-built buildings outside the town center, close to the village of Le Fau, still in the Thiers commune.

[8] Only part of the care remained on the town site, in an annex building: the medico-psychological consultation center.

[10] In 2016, this center in turn moved to Le Fau in the lower town, leaving the downtown site unused.

The relocation of the first major part of the hospital at the end of the 20th century left the building derelict, with maintenance stopped.

[b 12] The roof is partially damaged, allowing rainwater to run off inside the building, which encourages dampness and mold.

[16] In 2015, part of the building - the former maternity hospital - was demolished to make way for a 70-space parking lot, with a view to rehabilitating the site as a seniors' residence.

[20] In line with the project to rehabilitate the site itself, the town of Thiers is also studying the redevelopment of the building's surroundings.

The topography of the site makes the layout more complicated, and the roadway takes precedence over pedestrian paths.

The steeply sloping garden was terraced to grow fruit and vegetables for patients and nursing staff.

Trees grew untrimmed, and brambles invaded the entire garden, only to be overtaken by falling rocks due to a lack of maintenance on the few buildings in the park.

[24] Today, the park is part of the Vallée des Usines itinerary, of which it is a veritable geographical backbone.

[25] Michelin's Guide vert ( lists the route with two stars, accompanied by the company)s "Worth a detour".