Honoring the Magnolia Tower

Iconic Tower Turns 10

Gentle tunes from the grand piano resonate throughout the lobby and down the hall. The warm colors on the walls convey tranquility. The Meditation Room on the first floor provides a quiet space. And family lounges are scattered throughout the tower to provide a comforting space. Enloe Medical Center’s Magnolia Tower leaves quite a first impression.

Now, a decade later, it continues to achieve what Enloe intended to do — expand quality patient-centered care for a growing community.

On Nov. 15, 2012, the Magnolia Tower officially opened its doors to patients. It doubled the size of the hospital and became the new home to Enloe’s Nettleton Mother & Baby Care Center, as well as the neuro-trauma ICU.

The grand opening, which was held in June 2012, marked the completion of construction and featured loads of fanfare with community members, donors, business leaders and Enloe caregivers all in attendance.

“The grand opening was definitely a big deal. It was the culmination of nearly 10 years of work,” said Mike Wiltermood, Enloe’s President and CEO. “Not only was the opening a show of pride, it was a show of relief and appreciation for the way our organization and community came together to make the Magnolia Tower a reality.”

Bill Seguine, Enloe’s Director of Property Development & Facilities Management, led the project 10 years ago.

“In the beginning, it felt like a daunting task,” Seguine said. “How are we going to do all this work and keep everybody excited and keep from interrupting people’s lives?”

He said throughout construction, tours were held for various departments that were going to be in the new building. The purpose was to gain as much feedback as possible.

“We wanted people to take pride in the place they’re at,” Seguine said. “We take pride in the care we provide. I want people to take pride in the way their space looks.”

Tower Transforms Hospital

The five-story Magnolia Tower added 191,000 square feet of space. But it also transformed the look and feel of the hospital.

As a Planetree organization, it was important for the Magnolia Tower to encompass a relaxing and encouraging environment for patients and their families. Planetree International is a not-for-profit organization that has been at the forefront of the movement to transform health care from the perspective of patients for more than 40 years.

The tower was part of the Enloe Century Project fundraising campaign. A total of $10 million was raised over five years to support the project. Steve Nettleton, a well-known philanthropist and the owner of the Chico Heat baseball team, chaired the campaign.

Nettleton and his wife, Kathy, gifted $1 million to Enloe, which went toward the maternity ward that bears their namesake. Nettleton passed away in 2019 at the age of 79. Kathy continues to be a philanthropic partner, supporting every aspect of high-quality care provided at Enloe.

“Philanthropic supporters made the Magnolia Tower a reality,” said Suzanne Watroba, the Enloe Foundation’s Director of Advancement. “Hundreds of patients benefit each day from their commitment to the health of our community.”

During construction, Enloe supporters wrote messages of hope and healing on a beam used for the tower. Their words of encouragement continue to provide inspiration. “At the end of the day, it was a very successful project, one that set the tone for all our campuses,” Wiltermood said.