From humble beginnings in a 25-bed wood-frame building to an ultramodern 548-bed facility, St. Paul’s Hospital has seen plenty of changes in its 130 years.
On November 21, 1894, it welcomed its very first patient, a woman named Mrs. Woodlock. Back then, the hospital was a modest 25-bed, four-storey cottage built to serve the health-care needs of the growing port city of Vancouver.
In 1912 – 13, the original wooden building was demolished to make way for a new hospital built of concrete, brick, granite and terracotta. That distinctive building still stands on Burrard Street today, where 380,000 patients throughout BC and the Yukon receive care each year, including many underserved populations.
While the current hospital has been expanded and renovated many times over the decades, Providence Health Care now has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design a purpose-built facility to transform patient care. The new St. Paul’s Hospital will incorporate new technologies, equipment, spaces and services to ensure a safe and high-quality patient experience from day one.
New hospital to open in 2027, research centre in 2029
St. Paul’s Hospital (right) will open in 2027 while the Clinical Support and Research Centre (left) is expected to open in 2029.
St. Paul’s Hospital’s staff, researchers and providers have long been recognized for their innovation and compassionate care — and that tradition is set to continue in their new home on the Jim Pattison Medical Campus. Located in Vancouver’s False Creek Flats, the 18.4-acre campus will feature the new state-of-the-art St. Paul’s Hospital and a Clinical Support and Research Centre, with plans for an Indigenous Wellness and Welcoming Centre, a life sciences building, and other future amenities.
Seamless care on a single campus
“Imagine a seamless continuum of care on a single campus—acute care, outpatient care, specialist care, research centres, and medical and research minds brought together to spark breakthroughs,” says Fiona Dalton, Providence President and CEO. “This integrated approach means patients benefit directly and quickly from the latest advancements in medical science.”
View of the west side of the new St. Paul’s Hospital (November 2024).
Progress on this vision has been brisk. Since construction first began on the hospital in 2021, crews have been hitting milestone after milestone. The building ‘topped out’ this summer at 11 storeys with the final concrete poured on the roof. Meanwhile, 1,600 tradespeople continue to work on site daily, focusing on exterior finishes, interior drywall, and major equipment work.
Next year, crews will take on interior finishes and landscaping before wrapping up construction in 2026. Then keys to the new St. Paul’s Hospital get turned over to Providence, who will prepare the building, people, technology and service plans to welcome its first patients in 2027.
Story by Justine Ma and Christine Lyon, Providence Health Care
