The Riverdale Hospital

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2006

At the south end of Riverdale Park East at 440 Broadview Avenue stands a 1993 Toronto Historical Board plaque which tell us this:

Plaque coordinates: 43.667274 -79.353604

The Riverdale Isolation Hospital dates from 1875 when a House of Refuge was established for the care of patients with infectious diseases such as whooping cough, smallpox and diphtheria. The centre building opened in 1893 and accommodated 90 patients. The south building was constructed in 1904, and the north building was added seven years later. A nurses' training school, established in 1904, was the only school of its kind in Canada until 1931. Through its innovative programs, the nurses were taught to care for patients with communicable diseases. With the introduction of immunization and the decline in quarantine for communicable diseases, Riverdale changed its focus, dropping the word "Isolation" from its name in 1957. A 784-bed chronic and rehabilitation care hospital was opened in 1963.

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Posted August 24, 2010
I came across "Isolation Hospital" on a marriage record (of all places), from the 1920's, given as a residence for a witness of the marriage. Interested, I searched, and found your site. Thank you for your work and providing the answer to my question.

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