Old Victoria Hospital Lands – South Street

Old Victoria Hospital Lands – South Street 

Description:
The War Memorial Children’s Hospital (a functional bricks and mortar war memorial to the fallen of WWI; built 1922) and the Victoria Health Services building (former Western University Medical School building; delayed in 1917 by the First World War, completed 1921) form a distinctive pairing of the former Victoria Hospital campus, complemented by their shared scale, materials, and setback, as well as the soon to be repurposed Colborne building on the opposite side of South Street.

The War Memorial Children’s Hospital building was long used as a hospital for children, a title now passed onto the Commissioners Rd Victoria Hospital campus. This building’s “Memorial” status, commemorated by the fundraising efforts of over 50 organizations from the area, is evident by many memorial design elements incorporated by the local architectural firm, Watt and Blackwell, such as wreaths and funerary urns. The most notable of these design elements is the frontispiece of stone pilasters that grouped together suggests the form of a cenotaph.

The Medical School building located to the west retains important institutional-styled neoclassical architectural detailing with subtle Art Deco influences. The building was designed to be a state-of-the-art training and research facility, with large windows and skylights.

Threats:
These buildings are now owned by the City of London and are listed for sale under the Old Victoria Hospital Lands – Phase II. The Old Victoria Hospital Lands Secondary Plan will guide their future repurposing. Both buildings have been vacant for many years. Maintenance to these structures has dwindled slowly over the past 35+ years since the decision was made to move Victoria Hospital to its present site.

Recommendations:
These buildings offer many adaptive reuse options, based not only on their significant size, but also considering their prime location in the SOHO (South of Horton) neighbourhood, with quick access to the river, downtown London, and a central thoroughfare, Wellington Rd. These buildings could offer a unique condo apartment complex, offering a distinctively heritage minded development that younger adults would find extremely tasteful. Resources for the community could involve incubator space, community kitchens, dance studios, theatre space, or satellite office space.