Nurses Homes: Administration building / Nurses Home #1

Essondale Nurses Home #1 (B21741) Riverview Hospital Administration building
        Henry Whittaker, Supervising Architect, Public Works Department 1928-1930

        The Nurses' Home was opened in 1930, and the first class of nurses graduated two years later. It is an interesting adaptation of the English Arts & Crafts vernacular, as popularized by C.F.A. Voysey, and illustrates the conscious design of the Riverview site in the manner of an English country estate. The building has 1,714.72 Sq. M. of usable space.
      There have been several alterations to the exterior,(sometime in the 60's). The wide cedar cladding has been covered in stucco, and the arched arcade to the south has been partially infilled to accommodate an additional staircase from the second floor.
The Nurses' Home #1 is now used as the Riverview Hospital Administration Building.

The interior of the Nurses' Home #1 is substantially intact; and the fir woodwork has not been painted. One room has been carefully restored, the original Living Room, which is now used as a Reception Room.
( Unknown where the furniture from this room went. )
     It was designed in the Tudor Revival style, with fir panelling, a stenciled beamed ceiling with hammerbeam supports, oak floors, coloured glass in the windows, and a grand fireplace with inglenook seats. There is also a small ancillary room that leads to the southern arcade. The room is in pristine condition, and is used for displays of nursing school memorabilia. Some original furnishings, marked with the 'MH' logo, are located in this room.

An example of the furniture made at Essondale and marked with the MH logo

You can clearly see the MH logo on the top rail of this chair.
Also common is to see the P.M.H. logo, ( Provincial Mental Hospital )
also the D.P.W.. logo, ( Department of Public Works ),
and the R.V.H., logo,( RiverView Hospital) among many other acronyms and logos.

Sadly I was not able to get some decent pictures of the restored nurses living room,
it was always in use, when I went to visit.

From what I understand this building is not being used at all at this time. :(

The contractor was Ernest Harold Shockley, who built at least five building at Essondale, possibly more.

Nurses Home #1 under construction March 14, 1929

Note: in the left background is Cottage 113. And Cottage 112 to the right.
To view or download a larger version of this image go to Van. Arch. A23179

Nurses Home #1 under construction April 23, 1929

To view or download a larger version of this image go to Van. Arch. A23181

Nurses Home #1 under construction April 23, 1929

Note: The home, was built beside the previous site of John Davidsons botanical garden,
which continued to be used for growing plants, the gardeners struggled to remove the existing plants,
and in this photo we can clearly see that some large shrubs were left behind.
Also note in the far left, another building, now long gone, that appears to be
where todays, Henry Esson Young, (HEY) building is.

To view or download a larger version of this image go to Van. Arch. A23180

Nurses Home #1 completed September 25, 1929

To view or download a larger version of this image go to Van. Arch. A23178

Occupational Therapy,(O.T.) Patients working in the now
converted to a garden, site of the Botanical Garden.

( image: Riverview Museum )

Patients working in the garden, ca.1949

( image: Riverview Museum )

Nurses Home #1 in 1958, photo taken from the Henry Esson Young building, parking lot.
Note: the washing on the line; also the fire escape, now removed, later replaced with a metal fire escape.

( image: George Diack, PNG )