157 Albert St. E started as, and remains, a three-apartment residence, but from 1917 to 1920, it was home to the Royal Victoria Hospital. In April of 1917, a $10,000 fundraising campaign was launched by the Algoma Benevolent Hospital Association, headed by Alderman Frank J. Davey, for renovations and remodeling work to the done to the building. Leased from its owner,J.H. Bunten for two years at $100 a month, it contained 5 wards furnished and stocked by leading citizens and several organizations with a capacity for 30 patients. The home next door at 155 Albert St. E was the nurses residence.
On the ground floor were two semiprivate and one fully private ward, two standard wards, and the dining room. On the south side of the second floor were the operating and sterilizing rooms. The attic contained the nurses sitting room, the matron’s room, the maid’s room, and in the basement were the orderly’s room, laundry, fruit closet, and furnace room. The rear of the building even had a large runway for poultry with the purpose of supplying fresh eggs to the hospital.
The grand opening would take place on July 24th, 1917, and over 700 citizens gathered on the front lawn while bands and orchestras entertained before speeches were made. The superintendent was Ms. Isabelle Wallace with nurses Ms. J. McGreggor and Ms. A.E. Hearn. The following year, nurses Lillian Hodson, Lottie Mick, Rossie Densmore, Mary Warren, and Sadie Shewfelt would join and can be seen in the first featured photo above.
In 1920, the family of W.H. and Maria Plummer donated their residence, Lynnhurst, to the association, and the hospital made the move from Albert to Queen St, where the former Plummer Memorial Hospital still stands. The name was changed from The Royal Victoria to the Plummer Memorial that year, and the old building put up for sale. Lynnhurst itself would be demolished in 1962 to make room for further expansion.
Original photos are dated 1918 and 1917, respectively, with present-day comparisons taken in December 2022 by Jo Bumbacco. Sourced from the Sault Star Apr.18, Jun.25, Jul.11/25, 1917.
157 Albert St. E started as, and remains, a three-apartment residence, but from 1917 to 1920, it was home to the Royal Victoria Hospital. In April of 1917, a $10,000 fundraising campaign was launched by the Algoma Benevolent Hospital Association, headed by Alderman Frank J. Davey, for renovations and remodeling work to the done to the building. Leased from its owner,J.H. Bunten for two years at $100 a month, it contained 5 wards furnished and stocked by leading citizens and several organizations with a capacity for 30 patients. The home next door at 155 Albert St. E was the nurses residence.
On the ground floor were two semiprivate and one fully private ward, two standard wards, and the dining room. On the south side of the second floor were the operating and sterilizing rooms. The attic contained the nurses sitting room, the matron’s room, the maid’s room, and in the basement were the orderly’s room, laundry, fruit closet, and furnace room. The rear of the building even had a large runway for poultry with the purpose of supplying fresh eggs to the hospital.
The grand opening would take place on July 24th, 1917, and over 700 citizens gathered on the front lawn while bands and orchestras entertained before speeches were made. The superintendent was Ms. Isabelle Wallace with nurses Ms. J. McGreggor and Ms. A.E. Hearn. The following year, nurses Lillian Hodson, Lottie Mick, Rossie Densmore, Mary Warren, and Sadie Shewfelt would join and can be seen in the first featured photo above.
In 1920, the family of W.H. and Maria Plummer donated their residence, Lynnhurst, to the association, and the hospital made the move from Albert to Queen St, where the former Plummer Memorial Hospital still stands. The name was changed from The Royal Victoria to the Plummer Memorial that year, and the old building put up for sale. Lynnhurst itself would be demolished in 1962 to make room for further expansion.
Original photos are dated 1918 and 1917, respectively, with present-day comparisons taken in December 2022 by Jo Bumbacco. Sourced from the Sault Star Apr.18, Jun.25, Jul.11/25, 1917.