Our History
As miners flocked to British Columbia during the
gold rush of the 1850's and 1860's, the need for a hospital to
care for the sick and injured became apparent. An editorial in
the British Columbian, July 11, 1861, illustrated the concern, "...
our sick for want of a hospital are dying alone and destitute in
their own cabins". Within a month, the Municipal Council of
New Westminster appointed a committee to pursue the idea of obtaining
a hospital in B.C.
In February, 1862, a public meeting was held
in the courthouse. The Board, then elected, appealed to the colonists
for financial aid. When funds were sufficient, Arthur Bushby, the
Honorary Secretary, called for tenders for the hospital building
and asked that the chain gang from the jail be employed to clear
the hospital lots.
The first Royal Columbian Hospital, designed for
thirty patients, located on the corner of Clement (now 4th Street)
and Agnes Street was opened on October 7, 1862 to care for
men only. Women, children, and "the incurable and the insane" were
excluded from care. The Royal Engineers planned and helped build
the hospital. The cost was $3,396.
 The first
Royal Columbian Hospital was built in 1862, with the
help of the Royal Engineers
In 1889, Royal Columbian
moved to a handsome three-storey building
 The 1912 wing accommodated
170 patients
In 1901, the Nursing
School was founded at Royal Columbian
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In 1889, Royal Columbian moved to a handsome
three-storey building with pleasantly landscaped gardens in Sapperton.
The 50 bed hospital with a staff of 10 cost $25,000 to build.
In 1901, the Royal Columbian Hospital was
amalgamated with the Womens’ Hospital of New Westminster.
(in part because the Columbian physicians coveted their glass operating
table!)This maternity hospital, first organized by the Womens Christian
Temperance Union in 1893, had been transferred to the local
Council of Women in 1898.
In 1901, the Nursing School was founded at
Royal Columbian. It continued to graduate nurses until 1978.
In 1902, the Royal Columbian Hospital Auxiliary
was founded and continues to be active today.
By 1910, the 1889 building had outlived its
usefulness. Construction of the 1912 wing began soon after the
Provincial Secretary, Dr. Henry Esson Young, laid the cornerstone
in December, 1912. This cornerstone has been preserved and
can be found in the main concourse of the Health Care Center. The
1912 wing accommodated 170 patients and cost close to $143,000
to build.
In 1916, the first X-ray machine was installed
at Royal Columbian, the $3,000 Peerless (21 years after Roentgen's
discovery).
In 1949, the concrete form of the "1950
Wing" was taking shape. Team nursing was introduced, wards
were smaller, and the Hospital boasted an outstanding training
school program, including Medical internship.
In 1978, the Duke of Edinburgh opened the
Health Care Centre, the hospital's most sophisticated and well-equipped
facility to date at a cost of $21.7 million. Royal Columbian Hospital
Foundation was established.
In 1987, $3.8 million was approved for the
emergency department.
In 1992, the Columbia Tower was built to replace
the 1950 Building. This six-storey 210,000 square foot building
contains accommodation for 300 beds, five nursing floors, medical
imaging, library, nursing administration, and other patient care
services. The building cost $45,000,000.
Over the past 140 years, Royal Columbian Hospital
has developed from a refuge for the sick and indigent to a major
specialty and teaching institution. It has responded to the challenge
of pestilence, war, economic depression, local calamity and change
in social values. It has saved countless lives and welcomed in
excess of 100,000 new babies to the world.
With quiet dignity and strength, Royal Columbian
stands ready to provide the highest quality care for hundreds
of thousands of British Columbians each year, as it has since
it first opened its doors in 1862.
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