Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Boniface General Hospital (409 avenue Taché, Winnipeg)

The original St. Boniface Hospital, a modest building with four beds, opened its door on 5 August 1871. Sister Ste-Therese, the first Superior, was known in the region as a nurse-pharmacist and “sister physician”. She left behind her the unforgettable memory of creative charity in the Red River colony.

The hospital gradually expanded, with additions made in 1877 and 1887, and with the building of a nursing school in 1897, as well as several other services. A large expansion, constructed by J. H. Tremblay & Company, was built in 1915.

In 1938, a two-storey L-shaped brick and Tyndallstone building, measuring 42 feet by 142 feet, was designed by the architectural firm of Green Blankstein Russell and Associates and was built by contractor Gerard Alphonsus “Gerry” Baert as the new St. Boniface Hospital Outpatient Building at a cost of about $150,000. It was demolished in 2022 in order to make space for the hospital’s new emergency department.

Today’s St. Boniface General Hospital has 850 beds, 4,000 employees and 500 physicians. Affiliated with the University of Manitoba, this teaching hospital provides specialized tertiary care. Although remaining owners of the hospital, the Grey Nuns, in 1969, hired Louis Anthony Quaglia as the first lay administrator of the institution.

Located behind the hospital on the banks of the Red River, a plaque describes the development of the hospital through the years.

Postcard view of the St. Boniface Hospital (no date) Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2014-0294 Postcard view of the St. Boniface Hospital (no date) Source: Gordon Goldsborough, 2014-0286 St. Boniface Hospital during a Red River flood (1916) Source: Julia Payne St. Boniface Hospital (June 2017) Source: George Penner Historic entrance to the St. Boniface Hospital (February 2019) Source: George Penner Former Interns Residence at the St. Boniface Hospital (May 2022) Source: Jordan Makichuk Former Out-Patient Building at the St. Boniface Hospital under demolition (May 2022) Source: Jordan Makichuk St. Boniface General Hospital Plaque (2010) Source: City of Winnipeg Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.88417, W97.12678 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Boniface Hospital School of Nursing Building (431 Avenue Taché, Winnipeg)

Memorable Manitobans: Gerard Alphonsus “Gerry” Baert (1906-1971)

Sources:

“J. H. Tremblay & Company,” Winnipeg Tribune, 25 September 1915, page 66.

“New hospital wing will cost about $150,000,” Winnipeg Tribune, 14 May 1938, page 9.

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.

We thank George Penner, Julia Payne, and Jordan Makichuk for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 27 March 2023

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