Victoria Hospital for Sick Children
Encyclopedia
Victoria Hospital for Sick Children is a building in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. It was built in 1892 by the architectural firm of Darling
and Curry, and served as the hospital that is now called Hospital for Sick Children
(or "SickKids") until 1951. The construction of the five-storey building was a very important step in the history of the hospital since it was previously located in a small downtown house which was rented for sixteen years by Elizabeth McMaster, the founder of the hospital, with support from a group of Toronto women (Toronto Archives
). The invention of pablum
, the introduction of incorporated x-rays in 1896, and the origins of the battle for compulsory milk pasteurization
in 1908 occurred in this building (Adams 206). Since 1993, it has been home to Canadian Red Cross
Regional Blood Centre and the later the Canadian Blood Services
Regional Blood Centre. It is located at the corner of College
and Elizabeth streets, near the Toronto General Hospital
.
The building, which is made of sandstone, expresses the mood of the late 1880s when, under the influence of American architecture, Richardsonian Romanesque became a new trend in the design of buildings. In essence, as Kelly Crossman, the author of “Architecture in Transition: From Art to Practice, 1885-1906” claims, “during the last part of the nineteenth century, Canadian architecture was influenced by architectural trends in France, Great Britain, and the United States of America, and this impact was based on cultural and commercial connections”. In the 1880s, architects in the United States were experimenting with the construction of buildings using Romanesque style, as it had already begun to dominate American architecture. Since American and Canadian lifestyles were similar, and business connections were so tight, the new American architectural taste affected Canadian architects. The new trend influenced most Canadian architects, including Darling whose “favourite High Victorian Gothic design was no longer fashionable” (Crossman 9).
Expressing the mood of Canadian architecture of the late 1880s, the building has an impressive contrast against a background consisting of modern and postmodern architectural styles. The solidity of the exterior design of the building is due to the heavily rusticated stone that was used in the construction of massive, thick walls. It is further emphasized by stone masonry, cavernous door opening, deep window reveals, and bands of windows. The roof of the Canadian Blood Services building has multiple steeply pitched roofs, an ordinary element of the Romanesque Revival architecture which provided the ventilation to the building (Adams 206).
The main entrance is one of the key elements of the building. In fact, having a cavernous door opening with steps and an entrance ramp for wheel-chair access in front of it, the entrance attracts even those who are not interested in architecture. Rusticated at the base, the arched entrance seems to be massive at the bottom; nonetheless, as it goes upper, the heavy stones are changed with smooth bricks, adding the impression of flow into the front facade. It acts as a transition to the visitor’s experience from the exterior to the interior of the building, when the Romanesque Revival building from the exterior turns out to have modern interior faces, accommodating advanced laboratories with the cutting-edge research, blood collection, testing and transplantation (Official SickKids).
The Canadian Blood Services building was awarded with Commendation of Adaptive Re-use by the Toronto Historical Board after it was reconstructed in 1993 by Parkin Architects (Official Parkin).
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was built in 1892 by the architectural firm of Darling
Frank Darling (architect)
Frank Darling was a Canadian architect and key player in buildings built in Toronto during the early 20th century and promoter of the Beaux-Arts style.-Life and career:...
and Curry, and served as the hospital that is now called Hospital for Sick Children
Hospital for Sick Children
The Hospital for Sick Children – is a major paediatric centre for the Greater Toronto Area, serving patients up to age 18. Located on University Avenue in Downtown Toronto, SickKids is part of the city’s Discovery District, a critical mass of scientists and entrepreneurs who are focused on...
(or "SickKids") until 1951. The construction of the five-storey building was a very important step in the history of the hospital since it was previously located in a small downtown house which was rented for sixteen years by Elizabeth McMaster, the founder of the hospital, with support from a group of Toronto women (Toronto Archives
City of Toronto Archives
The City of Toronto Archives is the municipal archives for the City of Toronto. It holds records created by the City of Toronto government and its predecessor municipalities from 1792 to the present day, as well as non-government records created by private groups and individuals...
). The invention of pablum
Pablum
Pablum is a processed cereal for infants originally marketed by the Mead Johnson Company in 1931. The trademarked name is a contracted form of the Latin word pabulum, meaning "foodstuff", which had long been used in botany and medicine to refer to nutrition, or substances of which the nutritive...
, the introduction of incorporated x-rays in 1896, and the origins of the battle for compulsory milk pasteurization
Pasteurization
Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food...
in 1908 occurred in this building (Adams 206). Since 1993, it has been home to Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
Regional Blood Centre and the later the Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization that manages the blood supply in all provinces and territories of Canada, outside of Quebec, and oversees the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network . A separate organization, Héma-Québec, operates in the province of Quebec...
Regional Blood Centre. It is located at the corner of College
College Street (Toronto)
College Street is a principal arterial thoroughfare in downtown Toronto, connecting former streetcar suburbs in the west with the city centre. The street is home to an ethnically diverse population in the western residential reaches, and institutions like the Ontario Legislature and the University...
and Elizabeth streets, near the Toronto General Hospital
Toronto General Hospital
The Toronto General Hospital , is a part of the University Health Network, and a major teaching hospital in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It is located in the Discovery District, directly north of the Hospital for Sick Children, across Gerrard Street West, and east of Princess Margaret Hospital and...
.
The building, which is made of sandstone, expresses the mood of the late 1880s when, under the influence of American architecture, Richardsonian Romanesque became a new trend in the design of buildings. In essence, as Kelly Crossman, the author of “Architecture in Transition: From Art to Practice, 1885-1906” claims, “during the last part of the nineteenth century, Canadian architecture was influenced by architectural trends in France, Great Britain, and the United States of America, and this impact was based on cultural and commercial connections”. In the 1880s, architects in the United States were experimenting with the construction of buildings using Romanesque style, as it had already begun to dominate American architecture. Since American and Canadian lifestyles were similar, and business connections were so tight, the new American architectural taste affected Canadian architects. The new trend influenced most Canadian architects, including Darling whose “favourite High Victorian Gothic design was no longer fashionable” (Crossman 9).
Expressing the mood of Canadian architecture of the late 1880s, the building has an impressive contrast against a background consisting of modern and postmodern architectural styles. The solidity of the exterior design of the building is due to the heavily rusticated stone that was used in the construction of massive, thick walls. It is further emphasized by stone masonry, cavernous door opening, deep window reveals, and bands of windows. The roof of the Canadian Blood Services building has multiple steeply pitched roofs, an ordinary element of the Romanesque Revival architecture which provided the ventilation to the building (Adams 206).
The main entrance is one of the key elements of the building. In fact, having a cavernous door opening with steps and an entrance ramp for wheel-chair access in front of it, the entrance attracts even those who are not interested in architecture. Rusticated at the base, the arched entrance seems to be massive at the bottom; nonetheless, as it goes upper, the heavy stones are changed with smooth bricks, adding the impression of flow into the front facade. It acts as a transition to the visitor’s experience from the exterior to the interior of the building, when the Romanesque Revival building from the exterior turns out to have modern interior faces, accommodating advanced laboratories with the cutting-edge research, blood collection, testing and transplantation (Official SickKids).
The Canadian Blood Services building was awarded with Commendation of Adaptive Re-use by the Toronto Historical Board after it was reconstructed in 1993 by Parkin Architects (Official Parkin).