Maternity Hospital
Encyclopedia
Maternity Hospital, also known as Ripley Memorial Hospital and currently known as Ripley Gardens, is a former hospital building in the Harrison neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota
. The hospital was established by Dr. Martha Ripley
in 1886 in response to the exceptionally high mortality rate
s for women in childbirth
. Dr. Ripley was one of only a few female physicians in the late 19th century, and she employed only women as physicians and board members. The hospital provided services for primarily poor, unmarried, and widowed women. The hospital was originally located in a house at 316 15th Street South, but it quickly outgrew that house and moved to 2529 4th Avenue South. Demand continued to grow, so in 1896 the hospital purchased a house on 5 acres (2 ha) of land at the corner of Glenwood and Penn Avenues. The hospital built the Marshall Stacy Nursery in 1909, followed by the Babies' Bungalow in 1910 and the Emily Paddock Cottage in 1911. Also in 1911, Ripley appealed to the government for funds to build an even larger building. Ripley died on April 18, 1912, of a respiratory infection.
In 1916, the new building was completed. The hospital was renamed from Maternity Hospital to Ripley Memorial Hospital at that time. The hospital served the community until 1957, when it was closed due to low occupancy and funding problems. The hospital building was sold to Children's Hospital of Minneapolis, and the remaining funds were used to establish the Ripley Memorial Foundation. The foundation has sponsored teenage pregnancy
prevention programs since 1993. The former hospital buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
The building was redeveloped in 2007 by Aeon, a Minneapolis organization that provides affordable housing. The development, now known as Ripley Gardens, provides housing for low- to moderate-income residents, and provides both rental housing and home ownership opportunities. The redevelopment was one of twelve properties around the nation funded by the Restore America program, sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
and HGTV
.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. The hospital was established by Dr. Martha Ripley
Martha Ripley
Martha George Ripley of Lowell, Vermont was an American physician and founder of the Maternity Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ripley was nominated director of public schools but not elected because she was female...
in 1886 in response to the exceptionally high mortality rate
Mortality rate
Mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths in a population, scaled to the size of that population, per unit time...
s for women in childbirth
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
. Dr. Ripley was one of only a few female physicians in the late 19th century, and she employed only women as physicians and board members. The hospital provided services for primarily poor, unmarried, and widowed women. The hospital was originally located in a house at 316 15th Street South, but it quickly outgrew that house and moved to 2529 4th Avenue South. Demand continued to grow, so in 1896 the hospital purchased a house on 5 acres (2 ha) of land at the corner of Glenwood and Penn Avenues. The hospital built the Marshall Stacy Nursery in 1909, followed by the Babies' Bungalow in 1910 and the Emily Paddock Cottage in 1911. Also in 1911, Ripley appealed to the government for funds to build an even larger building. Ripley died on April 18, 1912, of a respiratory infection.
In 1916, the new building was completed. The hospital was renamed from Maternity Hospital to Ripley Memorial Hospital at that time. The hospital served the community until 1957, when it was closed due to low occupancy and funding problems. The hospital building was sold to Children's Hospital of Minneapolis, and the remaining funds were used to establish the Ripley Memorial Foundation. The foundation has sponsored teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy
Teenage pregnancy is a pregnancy of a female under the age of 20 when the pregnancy ends. It generally refers to a female who is unmarried and usually refers to an unplanned pregnancy...
prevention programs since 1993. The former hospital buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980.
The building was redeveloped in 2007 by Aeon, a Minneapolis organization that provides affordable housing. The development, now known as Ripley Gardens, provides housing for low- to moderate-income residents, and provides both rental housing and home ownership opportunities. The redevelopment was one of twelve properties around the nation funded by the Restore America program, sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
and HGTV
HGTV
HGTV , is a cable-television network operating in the United States and Canada, broadcasting a variety of home and garden improvement, maintenance, renovation, craft and remodeling shows...
.