Abbott Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Abbott Hospital
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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Three sections of the building from left to right: Janney Children's Pavilion, the Dunwoody Building, and the Wyman Building.
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | 110 East 18th Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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| Area | 1.6 acres (0.65 ha) |
| Built | 1912 |
| Architect | William Channing Whitney, Kenyon and Maine; Magney, Tusler and Setter |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Classical Revival, Modern Movement |
| Part of | Stevens Square Historic District (ID93000594) |
| NRHP reference No. | 11000323 |
| Added to NRHP | June 1, 2011 |
The Abbott Hospital building is a historic former hospital located in the Stevens Square area of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was first built in 1910. Over the years, new parts were added until 1958.
In 1970, Abbott Hospital joined with Northwestern Hospital. They became Abbott Northwestern Hospital. The original Abbott Hospital building closed its doors in 1980. This building is important for understanding how health care grew in Minneapolis. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 1, 2011.
Contents
How Abbott Hospital Started
Dr. Amos W. Abbott was born in India in 1844. His parents were missionaries from New Hampshire. He moved to Minneapolis in 1877. Dr. Abbott had his own medical practice.
In 1887, he began renting houses to treat patients. He could only care for about eight patients at a time. He also worked at other hospitals, but he couldn't offer places for patients to stay overnight.
In 1902, he opened Abbott's Hospital for Women. It was in a large house in the Stevens Square neighborhood. Then, in 1910, he got help from a rich businessman named William Dunwoody. With Dunwoody's support, Dr. Abbott was able to build his very own hospital building.
Building the Hospital: A Look at Its History
The hospital building was constructed in five main parts. Each part shows how health care changed over time.
The Dunwoody Building: The First Part
The first section of the hospital was built in 1910. It was named after William Hood Dunwoody, who helped fund it. The famous architect William Channing Whitney designed this part.
When it first opened, the hospital had only 30 beds. This allowed Dr. Abbott to personally look after all his patients. His main goal was to make patients feel comfortable and at home. There were no large shared rooms. Instead, patients had private or double rooms. The Minneapolis Journal newspaper praised the hospital's sunny rooms and quiet signal systems. They also noted its wide hallways and plenty of light and fresh air.
William Dunwoody owned the building and land. When he passed away in 1914, he left the hospital $100,000. He also gave ownership of the property to Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Janney Children's Pavilion: For Kids
The first new section added to the hospital was the Janney Children's Pavilion. It was named after Thomas B. Janney, who paid for its construction. This part was four stories tall with a flat roof. It was built between 1919 and 1920.
At this time, there was a growing need for doctors who specialized in children's health and childbirth. The children's unit in the main building was often too full. In September 1919, Janney gave a large donation, estimated to be between $200,000 and $330,000. Janney was a successful businessman in Minneapolis. He helped start a hardware company and was a leader at several banks.
Once the Children's Pavilion was finished, the hospital could care for 100 patients.
The Wyman Addition: Growing Bigger
The Wyman addition was built in 1938. It was named after its main donor, Oliver C. Wyman. The well-known Minnesota architecture firm Magney and Tusler designed it. Oliver C. Wyman was also a successful businessman and friend of Thomas Janney. Janney convinced Wyman to leave a large donation to Abbott Hospital in his will. When Wyman died in 1923, he left $500,000 for a new hospital building.
However, the hospital faced some money problems. They didn't have good business records. In 1922, the church committee decided to improve the hospital's business side. They hired a business manager. In 1925, doctors and administrators took over managing the hospital. Dr. Abbott became the chief of staff in June 1925. He stayed in this role until he died in February 1927, at age 83.
Because of these financial issues, the hospital was careful about expanding. In 1927, a plan for a much larger hospital was too expensive. A study in 1930 showed that Minneapolis already had too many hospital beds. But by 1936, the need for hospital beds had grown again.
The Wyman wing was finished in September 1938. It added sixty more beds to the hospital. The first floor had offices, a kitchen, and dining rooms. The second and third floors were for patient rooms. The fourth floor had four operating rooms, an X-ray lab, and other labs.
Later Additions
- Janney Pavilion Addition: In 1954, Magney and Tusler returned to design an expansion to the Janney Children's Pavilion. A corridor was made larger, and a new part was added to the south side of the Dunwoody building.
- Stevens Addition: The final hospital addition was completed in 1957. It was designed by Magney, Tusler and Setter. This section was built on the east side of the Wyman building. It was named after Stevens Avenue South, a street nearby.
What Happened Next
In 1964, the Westminster Presbyterian Church decided to transfer ownership of the hospital. It was given to a new group called Abbott Hospital Incorporated. The church did this to protect its own money and property.
In 1970, Abbott Hospital merged with Northwestern Hospital. They didn't combine their buildings until 1980. This merger happened because both hospitals needed improvements. By joining forces, they could work more efficiently. The Abbott campus was too small to continue offering all its services effectively.
In 1978, the Ebenezer Society bought the main Abbott building. They planned to use it as a nursing home and for other programs for older people. These programs stopped in 2004, and the building was empty for a while.
After a plan to turn the building into apartments failed, work began in 2012. The original building was renovated into apartments. Today, it is called the Historic Abbott Apartments, and people started moving in during 2014.
