Intention to Designate 650 & 672 Sanatorium Road (San House and Patterson Building)

Description of Property

The 2.65-hectare property municipally addressed as 650 and 672 Sanatorium Road, Hamilton, is comprised of a two-and-one-half storey building constructed in 1922, known as the San House (located at 650 Sanatorium Road), and a three-storey brick building constructed in 1932, known as the Patterson Building (located at 672 Sanatorium Road). The property is located on the east side of Sanatorium Road, on the former Orchard Campus of the Hamilton Sanatorium grounds, near the Chedoke Browlands, in the Westcliff West Neighbourhood, in the City of Hamilton.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

The property has physical value as it is comprised of representative examples of early-twentieth century institutional buildings, showcasing the range of architecture and building types included in the former Hamilton Tuberculosis Sanatorium (the San) complex. Completed in 1922 to replace an earlier building housing the medical superintendent of the Sanatorium, the San House is a two-and-one-half storey residence influenced by the Colonial Revival and Edwardian Classism styles of architecture. The Patterson Building is a sixteen-bay wide institutional building influenced by the Edwardian Classism and Collegiate Gothic architectural styles, constructed in 1932 and expanded in 1937. 

The property has historical and associative value due to its connections with the Hamilton Sanatorium, Dr. John Howard Holbrook (1876-1958), Dr. Hugo Ewart (1904-1994), and the themes of women’s and healthcare histories in Hamilton. The property reflects the work of prominent local architect William Palmer Witton (1871-1947) and local building company, Cooper Construction, led by William Henry Cooper (1876-1952).  From 1906 to the mid-twentieth century, the Sanatorium grew to become the largest tuberculosis treatment centre in Canada. The Patterson Building was an important organizing space for nurses and women in healthcare, having housed up to 66 nurses at its peak, and was later converted into the Hamilton and District School of Nursing in 1964. As superintendent from 1908-1946, Dr. Holbrook’s efforts are attributed to the Sanatorium’s growth and success as a treatment centre. Dr. Holbrook was also the first superintendent to live in the San House, followed by Dr. Ewart who became superintendent in 1947. During Dr. Ewart’s tenure tuberculosis treatment had become so successful that the need for large clinics had declined, leading to the diversification of healthcare offerings at the San. During this transition, to maintain patient numbers, Dr. Ewart agreed to participate in government programs which forcibly displaced at least 1,274 Inuit and approximately 50 Cree to the Hamilton Sanatorium from 1954-1965. Given this, the property also has the potential to yield information that contributes to an understanding of Inuit histories in Hamilton and the impacts of mid-twentieth century Canadian colonial policies. 

The property is visually, physically, and historically linked to its surroundings as part of the former Orchard Campus of the former Hamilton Sanatorium (later Chedoke Hospital) and is important in defining the character of the area’s historically significant role as a healthcare institution. The property’s intentional wooded parkland setting, and fruit trees reflect its historic role as part of the former Orchard Campus of the Hamilton Sanatorium. The property is considered to be a landmark as the Patterson Building and San House are monuments to the former Sanatorium.

The key attributes that embody the physical value of the property containing representative examples of early-twentieth century institutional buildings (Patterson Building and the San House), which is associated with the Hamilton Mountain Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Dr. John Howard Holbrook (1876-1958), Dr. Hugo Ewart (1904-1994), architect William Palmer Witton (1871-1947), builder William Henry Cooper (1876-1952), women’s and healthcare histories, and which contributes to an understanding of Inuit histories in Hamilton include:

• All four elevations and rooflines of the two-and-one-half storey San House located at 650 Sanatorium Road, including its:
  • Steeply pitched side gable roof with:
    • Octagonal slate shingles;
    • Three dormers with Classical pediments, positioned symmetrically on the northern and southern faces of the gable roof each (six total);
    • Projecting eaves with wooden soffits and dentils; and,
    • Flanking brick parapets;
  • Brick façades laid in Common and Stretcher bonds;
  • Symmetrical three-bay front elevation, including its:
    • Plain portico with projecting eaves and Doric columns; and,
    • Central door with sidelights and an arched elliptical window above; 
  • Flat-headed window openings with brick voussoirs; 
  • Stone keystones and sills; 
  • Hung wood windows; and,
  • Soldier-course brick band separating the basement level from the first storey. 
• All four elevations and rooflines of the three-storey Patterson Building located at 672 Sanatorium Road, including its:
  • Flat roof;
  • Uniform design with symmetrical features;
  • Multi-colour red brick facade laid in Common bond;
  • Brick parapets with stone coping, small ogee arches, and rectangular niches;
  • Stone cornice on the third storey; 
  • Bands of bricks laid in soldier bond;
  • Rectangular window openings with brick voussoirs and stone sills;
  • Continuous stone sill below the first storey windows;
  • Front (west) central entrance, bordered by two brick pilasters embellished with stone accents; 
  • Projecting entrance with:
    • Stone coping with a small ogee arch;
    • Stone cornice;
    • Moulded stone surround; 
    • Recessed doorway with curved arches; 
  • Northern 1937 addition, including its: 
    • Matching western façade with a three-bay projecting section; and;
  • Stone foundation.

The three-storey 2015 glass wing housing stairs on the southern face of the Patterson Building is not considered to be of heritage value.

The one-and-a-half story addition on the rear of the San House is not considered to be of heritage value. 

The key attributes that embody the contextual value of the property as a landmark with wooded parkland and as a defining feature of Hamilton Sanatorium cultural heritage landscape, include its:

• Location on the former Hamilton Sanatorium Orchard Campus grounds;
• Proximity to the remaining buildings sitting on the western portion of the former Sanatorium Orchard Campus, including Holbrook Park and Holbrook Public School; and,
• Park-like setting, including the presence of fruiting trees and greenspace to the east and south of the Patterson Building and San House.