90 Hospital Rd. (Old Marine Hospital)- Heritage House Tour 2023

Old Lunenburg Marine Hospital – Circa 1879  

90 Hospital Road 

The Old Marine Hospital was built in 1879, commissioned by the federal government and operated by the federal Department of Marine and Fisheries.  The hospital’s initial contractor was Eli Hopps, and final construction was done by Solomon Morash. An example of early Victorian era architecture, it was built by carpenters to be a utilitarian hospital. It included a six-bed ward, now a great hall, and a smaller isolation ward at the rear of the house.  There were 12 hospital beds for regular use, three beds for emergencies, and a small operating room. Any member of a vessel flagged in Canada or a foreign country could be treated at the hospital, which was also ideal as a quarantine centre. During World War II, naval personnel included patients from Camp Norway across the harbour.

In 1953, the hospital was decommissioned and medical care was shifted to the new Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital.  Once converted to a private residence, changes to the exterior of the building have been minimal.  Two dormers were added to the back wing to accommodate new bedrooms in the attic.  A front sunroom and a garage were added in 1988 by the Rhinelander family.  Mary Rhinelander, a noted artist, painted murals depicting views from the era when Hospital Hill was barren and the shoreline was dotted with fishing shacks.  More recently, the kitchen was modernized and the structure was fully insulated for the first time.  The siding along the front and western side was replaced with shingles and some of the Victorian detailing around the windows was removed.

Many thanks to owners Catherine Collins and Douglas Franz