The Salvation Army was founded in London, England in 1865 by William Booth in response to the wretched conditions of the urban poor. As a Christian church with an acute social conscience, The Salvation Army offers its “heart to God and its hand to man.”
The first Winnipeg Corps was established in December 1886. Four years later, the Army founded the Rescue Home and Children’s Shelter on Ross Avenue for destitute women and children. This home functioned until 1904 when Grace Hospital became the first incorporated hospital of The Salvation Army in Canada. A new hospital opened in 1906 on Arlington Street at Preston Avenue. Extensions were added during the next sixty years to meet community needs. It served as a maternity hospital until 1929 when it became a general hospital.
The present Grace General Hospital, designed by the local architectural firm of Smith Carter Searle and Associates, opened on this site in 1967. Near its entrance is a plaque about the Salvation Army erected in 1986 by the Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba. A second plaque, unveiled on 10 May 2009, acknowledges the work of the Salvation Army.
Located south of the main entrance of the hospital are cornerstones removed from the earlier hospital on Arlington Street. One cornerstone, dated 2 November 1909, was laid by Winnipeg Mayor W. Sanford Evans. Two stones dated 16 October 1926 where laid by Manitoba Premier John Bracken and Salvation Army Commissioner Henry W. Mapp, respectively. The third stone was laid on 30 August 1946 by Salvation Army Commissioner B. Orames, Territorial Commander for Canada.
Salvation Army Plaque (2010)
Source: City of Winnipeg
Grace Hospital Plaque (2010)
Source: City of Winnipeg
Cornerstones from the former Grace Hospital (2010)
Source: City of WinnipegSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88187, W97.27708
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Manitoba Business: Smith Carter and Katelnikoff / Smith Carter Architects and Engineers / Architecture49
Manitoba Organization: Salvation Army
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Grace Hospital (200 Arlington Street, Winnipeg)
Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 25 March 2023
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