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Military Hospital

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1A, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1998/01/26

Exterior view of the southwest corner of the Military Hospital, located on the Old General Hospital site, St. John's, taken February 9, 2005.; HFNL 2005.
Military Hospital, St. John's, NL
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Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1850/01/01 to 1851/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2005/03/01

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Old General Military Hospital is a two and a half storey, 19th century hospital building located on Forest Road in St. John’s. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Old General Military Hospital was designated a municipal heritage structure because it has aesthetic and historical values.

The Military Hospital is aesthetically valuable because it is an excellent example of early 19th century institutional building construction. With concrete parging over early English bricks, the stark nature of this building is broken by the high, narrow windows and a parged, brick cornice. The truncated hipped roof features slate shingles and cornice moulding. Shed roof dormer windows punctuate the roofline, and in particular, the large dormer on the east side features six window openings side by side. Windows play a large role in this building, with many sizes, shapes and styles. On the second story there can be found 9/9 and 6/6 windows, while 9/9 windows are on the main floor. In addition to this the rectangular double windows heavy sills. Finally, the small rear porch at the south end has a hipped roof.

The Military Hospital has historical value because it is one the four oldest government buildings in Newfoundland. Built in 1851, the Military Hospital was first used for soldiers of the garrison. It is one of the last buildings still standing which was used by the British Garrison in Newfoundland. The heavy, solid masonry on stone construction was built by the workers who built the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist, and the Colonial Building, all in St. John’s. The garrison was withdrawn from Newfoundland in 1870 and the hospital was given to the Newfoundland Government as a hospital for men only. The adjacent Victoria Wing was constructed in 1897 as a women’s hospital.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, 1 Springdale Street, P.O. Box 5171, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5V5

Character-Defining Elements

All those existing original, exterior features of the Old Military Hospital which reflect the age, construction and design of the building, including:
-slate shingles;
-shed roof dormer windows, including the 6 window dormer;
-exterior parging;
-truncated hipped roof with cornice moulding;
-parged brick cornice;
-number and fenestration of windows, especially the 9/9 windows on the main floor, the 6/6 and 9/9 windows on the second floor, the high, and the narrow character of the long double windows with shared heavy sills;
-the rear porch on the south side with a hip roof;
- the existing building height and number of storeys;
-location on original Old General complex site;
-orientation and dimensions; and
-general massing of the building.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Newfoundland and Labrador

Recognition Authority

City of St. John's

Recognition Statute

City of St. John's Act

Recognition Type

City of St. John's Heritage Building, Structure, Land or Area

Recognition Date

1998/01/26

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Health and Research
Hospital or Other Health Care Institution

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, 1 Springdale Street, P.O. Box 5171, St. John's, NL, A1C 5V5

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

NL-2180

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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