Abbott Hospital
Encyclopedia
Abbott Hospital is a former hospital building located in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, located within the Stevens Square Historic District. The hospital was originally built in 1910, with several additions up until 1958. The hospital eventually merged with Northwestern Hospital in 1970 to form Abbott Northwestern Hospital
, and the Abbott Hospital building closed in 1980.
While the Abbott Hospital building is a contributing property
to the Stevens Square Historic District, a separate listing was desired for the hospital because of its significance within the development of the health care system in Minneapolis. For that reason, a separate nomination was prepared and submitted, and the hospital was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on June 1, 2011.
and built in 1910. As originally built, the main entrance was a two-story brick and stone portico, with the doors on the porch on the second story. The main entrance was later relocated and the stairway was later removed.
The original building had only 30 beds, so Dr. Abbott was able to personally oversee all of the patients. His motto was, “Make the patients comfortable and make them feel at home.” There were no communal wards. Instead, patients had single- and double-occupancy rooms. The Minneapolis Journal commented on the hospital's “sun rooms, silent signal systems, spacious corridors, pleasing decorations and light and air in abundance.”
Dunwoody owned the building and the land. When he died in 1914, he left the hospital with a $100,000 endowment and transferred ownership of the property to Westminster Presbyterian Church.
The demand for pediatrics and obstetrics had been expanding. The pediatric unit had been located on the south side of the second floor of the Dunwoody building, but it often overflowed into other areas. At this time, there were four pediatricians working in the hospital: Dr. Julius Sedgwick, Dr. Nate Pearce, Dr. Rood Taylor, and Dr. Frederick C. Rodda. The Children's Pavilion was announced at a board of trustees' meeting in September 1919, when Janney provided a donation estimated between $200,000 and $330,000. Janney was another successful Minneapolis businessman. He was a founder of the hardware firm Janney, Semple, Hill and Company, and he also was president of Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank
and a director of Northwestern National Bank. When the addition was complete, the hospital had a capacity of 100 beds.
to Abbott Hospital. When he died in 1923, he left $500,000 to the trustees to be used at their “discretion for the erection of a General Hospital to stand connected with those created by his friends.”
The hospital had some financial difficulties in expanding, however. The previous administration of the hospital had not kept any set of business records, and no one at the hospital was skilled in business administration. In 1922, Westminster's Hospital Committee took notice, and decided to install a proper set of bookkeeping and administration at the hospital. They hired a business manager, and in 1925, they handed over management of the hospital to a committee of doctors and administrators. Dr. Abbott was named chief of staff
in June 1925. He remained in this role for a short time before his death in February 1927, at the age of 83.
Because of the financial difficulties, the trustees were cautious about expansion. Victor Anderson, the business manager, had proposed a 200- to 250-bed facility in 1927, but the projected construction costs were higher than expected. A study of the potential use of the new space, presented in October 1930, revealed that Minneapolis had too many hospital beds after a construction boom in the 1920s. In 1936, the demand for hospital beds had become favorable enough to build a new wing to the hospital. Magney and Tusler reworked some earlier plans to meet the latest standards in hospital architecture, while retaining a harmonious appearance on the outside by using brick similar to the Dunwoody and Janney wings and by using similar size and massing to the nearby apartment buildings. The Wyman wing was completed in September 1938 and added sixty beds to the hospital.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, located within the Stevens Square Historic District. The hospital was originally built in 1910, with several additions up until 1958. The hospital eventually merged with Northwestern Hospital in 1970 to form Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Abbott Northwestern Hospital is a 627 bed teaching and specialty hospital based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the largest not-for-profit hospital in the Twin Cities and a part of the Allina network of hospitals and clinics...
, and the Abbott Hospital building closed in 1980.
While the Abbott Hospital building is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Stevens Square Historic District, a separate listing was desired for the hospital because of its significance within the development of the health care system in Minneapolis. For that reason, a separate nomination was prepared and submitted, and the hospital was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on June 1, 2011.
Founding
Dr. Amos W. Abbott was born in 1844 in India, the son of missionary parents from New Hampshire. He moved to Minneapolis in 1877, where his sister lived. He maintained a private practice, and in 1887, he started renting houses where he could treat patients. He was never able to treat more than eight patients at a time, though. He practiced at Saint Barnabas Hospital, Saint Mary's Hospital, and Northwestern Hospital, but never was able to provide boarding for those patients. In 1902, he founded Abbott's Hospital for Women in a large house in the Stevens Square neighborhood. In 1910, he was able to establish his own hospital building with the backing of William Dunwoody, a wealthy businessman. Dunwoody's wife Kate had been one of Abbott's patients.Construction history
The building was constructed in five sections, each of which reflects the health care practices of the times in which they were built.Dunwoody
The original section of the hospital was named after its founder, William Dunwoody. It was designed by architect William Channing WhitneyWilliam Channing Whitney
William Ellery Channing Whitney was an American architect who practised in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Born in Harvard, Massachusetts, the son of Benjamin F. Whitney, he was educated at Lawrence Academy at Groton, Connecticut, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his B.S. from the...
and built in 1910. As originally built, the main entrance was a two-story brick and stone portico, with the doors on the porch on the second story. The main entrance was later relocated and the stairway was later removed.
The original building had only 30 beds, so Dr. Abbott was able to personally oversee all of the patients. His motto was, “Make the patients comfortable and make them feel at home.” There were no communal wards. Instead, patients had single- and double-occupancy rooms. The Minneapolis Journal commented on the hospital's “sun rooms, silent signal systems, spacious corridors, pleasing decorations and light and air in abundance.”
Dunwoody owned the building and the land. When he died in 1914, he left the hospital with a $100,000 endowment and transferred ownership of the property to Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Janney Children's Pavilion
The first addition to the structure was the Janney Children's Pavilion, named after Thomas B. Janney, who funded its construction. This addition was four stories in height and had a flat roof. It was built in 1919-1920 and designed by William Kenyon and Francis Maine. When this section was built, the main entrance of the hospital was relocated to a recessed doorway on the first story of the west facade. Unlike the Dunwoody building, the Janney addition had a flat roof and a more modern design, resembling the style, massing, and setback of the apartment buildings around Stevens Square.The demand for pediatrics and obstetrics had been expanding. The pediatric unit had been located on the south side of the second floor of the Dunwoody building, but it often overflowed into other areas. At this time, there were four pediatricians working in the hospital: Dr. Julius Sedgwick, Dr. Nate Pearce, Dr. Rood Taylor, and Dr. Frederick C. Rodda. The Children's Pavilion was announced at a board of trustees' meeting in September 1919, when Janney provided a donation estimated between $200,000 and $330,000. Janney was another successful Minneapolis businessman. He was a founder of the hardware firm Janney, Semple, Hill and Company, and he also was president of Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank
Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank
Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank may refer to two buildings in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota:* Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank at 115 S. 4th St., now Scheik's Palace Royale...
and a director of Northwestern National Bank. When the addition was complete, the hospital had a capacity of 100 beds.
Wyman
The Wyman addition was an expansion built in 1938 and named after its major donor, Oliver C. Wyman. It was designed by Magney and Tusler, a prominent Minnesota architecture firm. Oliver C. Wyman was the president of Wyman, Partridge, and Company, as well as chairman of the board of directors at Northwestern National Bank and a vice president and trustee at Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank. Through these connections, Janney and Wyman became friends, and Janney convinced Wyman to make a large donation in his willWill (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
to Abbott Hospital. When he died in 1923, he left $500,000 to the trustees to be used at their “discretion for the erection of a General Hospital to stand connected with those created by his friends.”
The hospital had some financial difficulties in expanding, however. The previous administration of the hospital had not kept any set of business records, and no one at the hospital was skilled in business administration. In 1922, Westminster's Hospital Committee took notice, and decided to install a proper set of bookkeeping and administration at the hospital. They hired a business manager, and in 1925, they handed over management of the hospital to a committee of doctors and administrators. Dr. Abbott was named chief of staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
in June 1925. He remained in this role for a short time before his death in February 1927, at the age of 83.
Because of the financial difficulties, the trustees were cautious about expansion. Victor Anderson, the business manager, had proposed a 200- to 250-bed facility in 1927, but the projected construction costs were higher than expected. A study of the potential use of the new space, presented in October 1930, revealed that Minneapolis had too many hospital beds after a construction boom in the 1920s. In 1936, the demand for hospital beds had become favorable enough to build a new wing to the hospital. Magney and Tusler reworked some earlier plans to meet the latest standards in hospital architecture, while retaining a harmonious appearance on the outside by using brick similar to the Dunwoody and Janney wings and by using similar size and massing to the nearby apartment buildings. The Wyman wing was completed in September 1938 and added sixty beds to the hospital.