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Hamilton Base Hospital Complex

Location Cnr Foster and Kitchener Streets,, HAMILTON VIC 3300 - Property No B6399 File Number B6399 Level Regional

[1/1] B6399 Hamilton Base Hospital

Statement of Significance

A hospital complex of historical, social and architectural significance at regional level. Since its establishemnt in 1862, the Hamilton Hospital has performed an important role within the Western District and a range of buildings on the site, constructed between 1883 and 1955, illustrate its evolution and growth as a regional hospital. The development of specialisations in medical treatment is reflected in the separate construction of buildings such as the Queen Victoria Infectious Hospital (1897), the McKellar Hospital (1906), and the Tuberculosis Chalet (1944-45). The early construction of Nurses' Home and lecture room (1904) and the McKellar Maternity Hospital and midwifery school (1906) also indicates the hospital's influential role in nurse training. In 1955 the erection of the Princess Margaret Nurses' Home continued this tradition. The construction of a new main hospital in 1941-43, incorporating part of the 1890-93 main hospital (now the Administration Building), is expressive of the Hamilton hospital's expanding role in the region. The Hamilton Base Hospital complex has social significance for its role as a major local employer for over 130 years. It also has architectural importance for its association with several influential Victorian architects including Walter Butler, Beverley Ussher, Percy Everett and Leighton Irwin. The complex is distinguished by the clarity of the layers of architectural design, reflecting the prevailing architectural trends of each era.
Classified: 03/07/1995