Suburban Hospital Turns 70

Suburban Hospital in the 1950s Suburban Hospital after its first major expansion Suburban Hospital, via Suburban Hospital Suburban Hospital expansion rendering, via Suburban Hospital

In a few weeks, Suburban Hospital will celebrate 70 years.

On Dec. 13, 1943 the hospital opened with 130 beds to accommodate the growing population of federal government workers and World War II vets in what was then thought of as rural Montgomery County, Md.

The hospital, at that time a series of one-story cottages, admitted 3,000 patients and had an operating budget of $13,000 in its first full year.

Today, Suburban admits more than 14,000 patients and treats more than 1,500 trauma patients a year.

After community leaders purchased the hospital from the federal government in 1950, it suffered from a severe shortage of space, requiring workers to close off sun porches and convert clinic space. The Suburban Hospital Association developed a master plan to build the winged structure you see today.

In 2009, the hospital joined Johns Hopkins Medicine and is embarking on a 235,000-square-foot addition that would bring a new four-story building and 1,125-space garage.

Photos via Suburban Hospital

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