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Norwood Hospital will open its impressive new building for public inspection in November, with hospital officials announcing that construction is expected to be finished by then, though patients will not be admitted until January and a formal dedication ceremony is planned for the spring. Staff, trustees, volunteers, and their families will receive an exclusive tour on November 19, followed by a public open house on November 20. If you can come in here and compare with what’s in Boston, then you’ll see your community hospital has everything that you need, remarked hospital communications director Marjorie Clapprood.
The $18.4 million construction project encompasses a five-level building and an adjacent power plant situated on the 5.6-acre site of the former Norwood Civic Center, forming part of an overarching $28 million modernization program that also includes the $2.5 million previously paid to the town for the land. That’s the total cost of bringing the hospital right up into the ’90s, Marjorie Clapprood noted. Associate Administrator David Meadows reported that $4.3 million had already been raised in local donations ranging from a few dollars to $100,000—a fundraising milestone he described as pretty unheard of in Norfolk County—with the bulk of the remaining cost financed through tax-exempt bonds.
The massive addition adds 154,000 square feet of new space (including a 6,000-square-foot power plant), expanding the entire hospital complex to roughly 350,000 square feet and resulting in a net gain of fifty-five patient beds for a total capacity of 320 beds. The 155 new beds offset the closure of approximately 100 older beds in the hospital’s historic East Wing. Modern features include an open-air atrium and courtyard overlooked by patient rooms on the upper two stories, balconies off two solariums, a pediatric playroom, a psychiatric treatment unit, six operating rooms, and four advanced elevators, including two high-speed cars and two full-size beds-accommodating units.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
More Norwood Hospital Stories
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Norwood Hospital Proposes Purchasing Civic Center as Expansion Alternative, Other Selectmen’s Notes-August 6, 1975
Facing severe space constraints and rising relocation estimates to Walpole, Norwood Hospital officials proposed acquiring the Civic Center as a viable local expansion alternative during a selectmen’s meeting.⠀
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New Hospital Center Handles July 4th Rush-July 10, 1975
Norwood Hospital Ambulatory Care Center Performance On July 10, 1975, Norwood Hospital reported a successful test of its new ambulatory care center during the heavy patient traffic of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. ⠀ According to Public Relations Director Eileen Sullivan, the center—which had opened four months prior at 15 Linden St.—effectively managed the…
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Hostage Taken in Robbery, Officer Shot, 2 Arrested-This Day in Norwood History- September 7, 1974
This Day in Norwood History- September 7, 1974-Hostage Taken in Robbery, Officer Shot, 2 Arrested
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Proposed Land Swap Between Norwood Civic Center and Hospital Expansion Site Generates Mixed Reactions-August 17, 1974
Candidate Francis J. Keady proposed trading the Norwood Civic Center for the hospital’s 24-acre Walpole expansion site, drawing skepticism from town manager John P. Mogan and selectman Joseph W. Wall.
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Midday Fire at 12 Vernon Street Sends 21 Firefighters to Norwood Hospital-August 8, 1974
A fast-moving basement fire at 12 Vernon Street caused $16,000 in damage and sent 21 firefighters to Norwood Hospital for smoke inhalation and heat-related injuries.
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Norwood Appeals Board Denies Permit For South Norwood Development-July 27, 1974
The Norwood Appeals Board rejected a nine-acre duplex development by Hobbs Realty Trust due to severe flooding risks, drainage issues, and emergency vehicle access concerns.
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Norwood Police Chief James M. Murphy Dies At 54-November 23, 1973
Norwood Police Chief James M. Murphy, 54, died yesterday at Norwood Hospital, where he was admitted Thanksgiving Day after a heart attack. Chief Murphy, a Norwood police officer for 33 years and police chief for 10 years, was one of the state’s youngest police chiefs when appointed in 1963. A funeral Mass will be said…
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Budget-Minded Norwood Officials Form Committee to Trim Overweight Town Report-August 2, 1973
Following a record 580-page centennial town report costing $6,800, Norwood town manager John P. Mogan and local officials formed a special committee to cut extraneous material and reduce future printing costs.
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First Male Graduate Breaks Tradition at Peabody Practical Nursing School-August 28, 1972
David Thurber of Austin Street breaks tradition as the lone male among 32 graduates to become the Henry O. Peabody School’s first male licensed practical nurse.
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Busy Norwood Teenager Balances Pageants, Volunteer Work, and Personal Goals-August 26, 1972
Fifteen-year-old Linda Diane Firth of Buckingham Road reflects on her titles as Miss Norwood and first runner-up in the Miss Massachusetts Teenager Pageant while managing a busy schedule of hospital volunteering and civic activities.
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