Saint Joseph Hospital (Denver, Colorado)
Coordinates: 39°44′43″N 104°58′07″W / 39.7454°N 104.9687°W
| Saint Joseph Hospital | |
|---|---|
| SCL Health | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | 1375 19th Ave., Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Organization | |
| Hospital type | General |
| Services | |
| Beds | 365 |
| History | |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Links | |
| Website |
www |
| Lists | Hospitals in Colorado |
Saint Joseph Hospital is a hospital in the City Park West neighborhood of Denver.
History
Saint Joseph Hospital is part of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Healthcare system. It was started when a handful of sisters, with $9 in their pockets, set forth from Leavenworth, Kansas to Denver, Colorado in order to care of the poor and ill. They started with a small cottage, and then in September of 1873, through donations and begging, opened the first hospital at 1421 Arapahoe Avenue. Soon the sisters found themselves running low on space, and some time in 1874, they moved to a larger structure near the red light district of Denver, at 26th and Holladay (later Market St.). Dr. Augustus L. Justice and Dr. Frederick J. Bancroft became the first physicians on the staff of what was then called the Saint Vincent Hospital, named after the French saint, Father Vincent de Paul. The name was changed to Saint Joseph Hospital in 1876 - partially in honour of bishop Joseph Machebeuf - when the Sisters moved yet again, this time further east of downtown, at 18th Avenue and Humboldt Street on land donated to them by territorial Governor William Gilpin. This site was directly adjacent to the hospital's present location.
Construction of the administration building began in 1899. Led by flour baron John K. Mullen, the people of Denver raised $10,000 for this building with a "gigantic city-wide bazaar," and a "monster" euchre (whist) party, planned by none other than Mrs. J. J. "The Unsinkable Molly" Brown.
In 1961, ground was broken for the new hospital's iconic twin towers structure.
In 2014, Saint Joseph Hospital completed its current state-of-the-art facility located at 1375 E. 19th Avenue and Downing Street in Denver.
References
Towers of Healing, Dave Fishell
Further reading
- "The Origin of Saint Joseph Hospital, Denver, Colorado". Colorado Health Care History.