Five years after the establishment of Maine Medical Center, a commission report concluded that the hospital had a lack of medical and surgical beds, inadequate beds for emergency room patients, and the original Maine General Hospital building had obsolete fire hazards. Efforts to preserve the original building prevailed, and a new wing was designed by Smith, Smith, Haines, Lundberg & Waehler. The plan for what would come to be known as the Richards Wing included the purchase from the city of the Bramhall Street Reservoir for a 260-car parking garage.