|
 Thornton Hospital - Stevensville, MT Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 46° 30.585 W 114° 05.548
11T E 723055 N 5154795
Opened in 1910 as a (then) full service hospital, this brick and concrete building remained a medical centre until 1939. After its closing it became a rest home, daycare centre, boarding house and finally an antique hotel.
Waymark Code: WMW3RA
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 07/06/2017
Views: 0
The building was reopened as a rest home for many years until the mid-1980’s. The building then sat unused for almost 5 years, was then cleaned up and reopened as a children’s daycare for 4 years. It struggled through many short term uses until it became a boarding house around 1999. It was still a boarding house when Gene & Robbie purchased the building in June 2004. The major renovations took 2½ years, but many details continued to be fixed & improved on almost a daily basis. The hard work has been recognized locally with the following awards. 2006 Business of the Year, recognized by both the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce & Stevensville Main Street Association. 2007 Historic Exterior Enhancement. 2008 Garden of the Year. 2008 First Place, Exterior Christmas Decorations. We’ve also been featured in Missoula Magazine, The Bitterroot Star, Ravalli Republic, & Missoulian Newspapers; and on the radio at Montana PB.
From the Stevensville Historic Hotel
Thornton Hospital
Amidst economic prosperity brought on by the local "apple boom," Stevensville physician Dr. William Thornton established this surgical center, then the only such facility in the entire Bitterroot Valley. Completed in 1910, builder W. R. Rodgers used brick and cast concrete of his own manufacture to construct the splendid Classical Revival style building. Dormers, arched windows, Tuscan columns and a wrap-around two-story veranda (originally surrounded by a spindled railing) typify the simple, elegant style. Modern equipment included a pressure sterilizer and photo X-ray machine. The hospital engaged private nurses to care for the patients. Surgical procedures were performed on the second floor, seven-teen patients' rooms were on the second and third floors and the first floor housed Dr. Thornton's office and family living quarters.
In 1917 Dr. Thornton moved to Missoula where he continued to make lasting contributions to the quality of health care in Montana. New owner Dr. P. S. Rennick remodeled the hospital in 1928, enlarging the sun porch and altering the west dormers. The medical center continued under Dr. Rennick's management until his death in 1939. The closure of this landmark medical facility illustrates the loss suffered by rural communities as small hospitals could no longer compete with urban centers in the age of specialized medicine.
From the plaque at the building
| |
Thornton Hospital |
Street address:
107 East Third Street
Stevensville, MT United States
59870
County / Borough / Parish: Ravalli
Year listed: 1991
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Health/Medicine, Architecture
Periods of significance: 1925-1949, 1900-1924
Historic function: Health Care - Hospital
Current function: Antique Hotel
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|
|