Intention to Designate 650 & 672 Sanatorium Road (San House and Patterson Building)
Description of Property
The 2.65-hectare property municipally addressed as 650 and 672 Sanatorium Road, Hamilton, is comprised of a two-and-one-half storey building constructed in 1922, known as the San House (located at 650 Sanatorium Road), and a three-storey brick building constructed in 1932, known as the Patterson Building (located at 672 Sanatorium Road). The property is located on the east side of Sanatorium Road, on the former Orchard Campus of the Hamilton Sanatorium grounds, near the Chedoke Browlands, in the Westcliff West Neighbourhood, in the City of Hamilton.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest
The property has physical value as it is comprised of representative examples of early-twentieth century institutional buildings, showcasing the range of architecture and building types included in the former Hamilton Tuberculosis Sanatorium (the San) complex. Completed in 1922 to replace an earlier building housing the medical superintendent of the Sanatorium, the San House is a two-and-one-half storey residence influenced by the Colonial Revival and Edwardian Classism styles of architecture. The Patterson Building is a sixteen-bay wide institutional building influenced by the Edwardian Classism and Collegiate Gothic architectural styles, constructed in 1932 and expanded in 1937.
The property has historical and associative value due to its connections with the Hamilton Sanatorium, Dr. John Howard Holbrook (1876-1958), Dr. Hugo Ewart (1904-1994), and the themes of women’s and healthcare histories in Hamilton. The property reflects the work of prominent local architect William Palmer Witton (1871-1947) and local building company, Cooper Construction, led by William Henry Cooper (1876-1952). From 1906 to the mid-twentieth century, the Sanatorium grew to become the largest tuberculosis treatment centre in Canada. The Patterson Building was an important organizing space for nurses and women in healthcare, having housed up to 66 nurses at its peak, and was later converted into the Hamilton and District School of Nursing in 1964. As superintendent from 1908-1946, Dr. Holbrook’s efforts are attributed to the Sanatorium’s growth and success as a treatment centre. Dr. Holbrook was also the first superintendent to live in the San House, followed by Dr. Ewart who became superintendent in 1947. During Dr. Ewart’s tenure tuberculosis treatment had become so successful that the need for large clinics had declined, leading to the diversification of healthcare offerings at the San. During this transition, to maintain patient numbers, Dr. Ewart agreed to participate in government programs which forcibly displaced at least 1,274 Inuit and approximately 50 Cree to the Hamilton Sanatorium from 1954-1965. Given this, the property also has the potential to yield information that contributes to an understanding of Inuit histories in Hamilton and the impacts of mid-twentieth century Canadian colonial policies.
The property is visually, physically, and historically linked to its surroundings as part of the former Orchard Campus of the former Hamilton Sanatorium (later Chedoke Hospital) and is important in defining the character of the area’s historically significant role as a healthcare institution. The property’s intentional wooded parkland setting, and fruit trees reflect its historic role as part of the former Orchard Campus of the Hamilton Sanatorium. The property is considered to be a landmark as the Patterson Building and San House are monuments to the former Sanatorium.
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