The
history of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center begins in 1921 when the United States
Veterans Bureau leased the Asbury Hospital in Minneapolis, and the Aberdeen Hotel
in St. Paul, to provide for hospitalization of World War I veterans from Minnesota
and adjoining states.
In 1925 an executive order of President Calvin Coolidge transferred a 160-acre
tract of land from the Fort Snelling Military Reservation and a Veterans Administration
Facility was erected there. Original cost of the building which provided for
557 hospital beds, was $1,277,725. The building opened in March 1927 and by that
June 520 patients were receiving treatment.
At the end of
World War II, the facility had grown to no fewer than 36 separate
structures. These included five hospital buildings, a recreational building, an administration
building, nurses home, attendants quarters, one single and three duplex physicians’ residences; a warehouse, laundry, garage, power plant and a building housing a fire
department.
Even with additions and remodeling adding capacity of over 1000 beds, a 1974
Veterans Administration survey found that the Minneapolis VA Hospital had the
most serious space deficiencies in the entire VA system. The decision was made
to replace 90 percent of the Medical Center, on its present site, with a four-story
structure (proximity to the airport limited the height of the building) designed
to house 845 beds. Construction of this structure began in 1983 and was completed
in 1987. Transfer of patients to the new facility, Building 70, took place in
1988.
A few Medical Center facts:
The project cost $200 million ($54 million under
budget) At 1.5 million square feet, the Medical Center
is slightly larger than the IDS building in Minneapolis, Minnesota's tallest
building. Over 4000 rooms A window emitting natural light is in each patient's
room, which explains the reason for the three large atria in the facility. Automated Transport System (ATS) is used to deliver
patient trays, linen and sterile supplies. The Transportation system includes
20 flatbed vehicles and 205 carts. The U.S. flag in the Visitor Atrium measures 50
feet long by 30 feet wide. Each star is 15 inches from point to point.
The
history of the Minneapolis VA Medical Center begins in 1921 when the United States
Veterans Bureau leased the Asbury Hospital in Minneapolis, and the Aberdeen Hotel
in St. Paul, to provide for hospitalization of World War I veterans from Minnesota
and adjoining states.