Holy Cross Hospital - 1892

...into a 600 bed multi-building complex occupying 10% of the total  land area of the community, and employing some 3,000 medical and non-medical staff.
 
 

Holy Cross Hospital, South View - 1999

The evolution of Holy Cross into a major public institution has had profound physical effects on adjacent neighbourhood areas.The activity generated by the steady growth of the hospital, and the thousands of people – staff, patients and visitors - who flowed through it every year, contributed to the vitality of the community. Many health-related businesses and services established themselves in the surrounding neighbourhood over the years.  Particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, many of the single-family homes in the area were replaced by three-storey walkups.
 
 

Hospital buildings themselves grew progressively larger and, as can be seen from photographs and drawings, progressively more "institutional" looking.
 
 

Holy Cross Hospital 1913	Holy Cross Hospital (East View) - 1999

Size and massing of the buildings, and the ultimate closure of 23rd Avenue, have left Holy Cross an imposing physical presence in the community.
 
 

Construction of the New Main Wing in the 1970s turned 23rd Avenue Into a Cul-de-Sac

Given the prominence of this site in the community, it is essential that plans for redevelopment be considered very carefully.  The opportunity to reshape such a large parcel of land in the heart of the inner-city is one that does not often become available.  An ethical approach to redevelopment is one that will take into account not just the physical impacts on the eight acres of the site proper, but also the potential impacts on the broader community.
 
 

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