History of the Hospital
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The Rose Garden

History of the Hospital, also, The Rose Garden. . , History of the Hospital , In the post-Civil War era, New Britain did not have a hospital and medical care was typically provided by physicians and nurses that visited the home of patients that were too ill to travel. The 1870 City Directory listed thirteen physicians, two nurses, and three druggists. About this time New Britain started to experience rapid growth, and residents recognized the need for a city hospital. On March 5, 1892, ten concerned citizens met in the parlor of the YMCA. The meeting is recognized as the beginning of the New Britain General Hospital. , The actual formation of the hospital happened six years later in 1898 somewhat by chance in an effort to contain a potential typhoid fever pandemic among Spanish-American War soldiers home on furlough. The patients were treated in a Victorian style residence built in 1880 on Grand Street for J.B. Smith. Ninety percent of these original patients recovered, and the hospital officially opened in the J.B. Smith residence they were treated in, on Grand Street in 1899. , As New Britain grew, so did the hospital. In 1903 renowned local architect, William Caldwell designed and oversaw construction of a large addition to the original house, and that same year also saw the addition of a horse-drawn ambulance for hospital use. , The twentieth century saw expansion of the hospital and the introduction of new technology. Additions included a patient building in 1903, a training school for nurses in 1905, and a new operating room in 1912. The flu epidemic of 1918 severely strained the hospital's resources and all admissions, other than people with the flu were halted. The hospital treated 326 influenza patients during that period. , The incorporation of two important advancements in patient care came in 1949; the installation of air conditioning, and the first use of antibiotics. Long remembered in the annals of hospital history is May 11, 1960. On that day, 205 Berlin High School teachers and students arrived at the hospital with severe food poisoning. All were successfully treated, thanks to the training of hospital staff. , In 1966, the original houses, as well as the 1903 and 1912 buildings, were demolished. The nursing school was closed in 1976, after producing 1,225 graduates. In 1999, the hospital celebrated its centennial with a Victorian-themed party. In 2006, New Britain General Hospital merged with Southington's Bradley Memorial Hospital to form the Hospital of Central Connecticut, and for several years has been the city's largest employer with over 3,600 employees. , [Caption (top)] New Britain General Hospital's first home was in this Victorian-era residence on Grand Street. , , The Rose Garden , A magnificent rose garden was once located directly across from the hospital, on the eastern slope of Walnut Hill Park. In the 1930s local gardener James F. Burke oversaw the development of the vast and beloved garden as a labor of love. After prolonged period of neglect, and without funds for maintenance, city officials destroyed the garden in the early 1990s. Fortunately, in 2010, a local volunteer organization “Friends of the Walnut Hill Park Rose Garden” organized and initiated the development of a new rose garden. This garden is located at the top of the hill, near the park's World War I monument, in an area that was once a city reservoir. , Michelle Malinowski, a Friends of the Walnut Hill Park Home Garden design committee volunteer, designed the new garden. Her vision was to have waves of color with bilateral symmetry. To commemorate the World War I monument, the first rose visitors see when visiting the garden are the deep red Veterans Honor. Other varieties include Love, Firefighter, Strike it Rich, and Touch of Class. , New Britain native Kate McCue spearheaded the redevelopment of the rose garden, organizing over 200 volunteers to plant and help to maintain hundreds of roses. Every April the garden is replenished and then cared for throughout the growing season by these dedicated gardeners. Mayor Erin Stewart and the city's Park and Recreation Department hosted the first New Britain Rose Garden Festival during Rose Week in June of 2014. , The Rose Garden and the hospital have always had a symbiotic relationship. From its inception in the 1930s, hospital staff and visitors have used the garden as a space for quiet reflection, meditation, and wellness. In return, they help to maintain the facility. At peak season, the roses are just a sniff away and invite all to relax for a moment and forget their troubles. Walk down the path to Grand Street to see the Arbor at Ledgers Way with its steel roses in the framework, a reference to the historic garden, which was once nearby. , [Captions] , . (Top) The current Walnut Hill Park Rose Garden was planted on April 10, 2010. , . (Bottom) The original Walnut Hill Park Rose Garden as it looked in the 1920s. (Local History, NBPL)