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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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Chemical Concerns at Buckmaster Pond; Selectmen Tighten Fuel Storage Rules-September 12, 1979
Town Manager John J. Carroll reports a borderline concentration of tetrachloroethylene in the Buckmaster Pond well in Westwood, prompting caution on upcoming water infrastructure investments.
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Zoning Board of Appeals Set to Review Norwood Hospital Expansion Plans Following Purchase Agreement-August 17, 1979
Building Inspector John E. Grover confirmed that Norwood Hospital must secure zoning board special permits for its Civic Center expansion as officials prepare for an August 23 groundbreaking.
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Aaron Guild School Leased to Norwood CETA Consortium and EdCo for One Year-August 1, 1979
Norwood selectmen voted unanimously to lease the closed Aaron Guild School for one year to the Norwood CETA Consortium and the Educational Collaborative of Greater Boston (EdCo) for $148,000.
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Rescued by Neighbor: Norwood Woman Survives 5-Day Ordeal-July 9, 1979
Discover the heroic story of Jim Rossetsky, an orderly at Norwood Hospital, who discovered his 65-year-old neighbor injured in her bedroom after she had been trapped for five days.
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Norwood Couple Questions Legality of New Access Road Built Next to Their Sumner Street Home-August 8, 1978
Anita and Joseph Fraone questioned the legality of a new bulldozer-cleared access road beside their 99 Sumner St. home during a Norwood Planning Board meeting.
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Hazardous Shooting Incident On Route 1-July 22, 1978
On July 22, 1978, Stephen Pacheco was sought after a van was struck by gunfire near the Norwood-Canton exit.
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Norwood Selectmen Uphold Fire Department Staffing Levels Amid Labor Disputes-July 12, 1978
Fire Department Manning Shifts and Physical Exam Standoff On July 12, 1978, the Norwood Board of Selectmen stepped directly into a complex municipal and labor dispute, voting 3–1 to reaffirm a long-established minimum manning policy of 13-man shifts within the Norwood Fire Department. The decision effectively determined that any budgetary economies or cost-cutting measures targeted…
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Some Cold Facts Could Save A Life-June 20, 1978
Norwood Hospital distributes free emergency medical indicators via local police stations and senior hubs.
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Citizens’ Group Keeps Recall Threat “On Hold” Awaiting Action on Civic Center Replacement-September 9, 1977
Opposition leaders Ambrose J. Kelly and Jeannette M. Troiano state that a recall petition drive against Norwood selectmen remains an active option if replacement Civic Center plans stall.
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Norwood Hospital Outlines Traffic Solutions for Linden Street-July 11, 1977
Norwood Hospital Expansion and Linden Street Traffic ⠀ On July 11, 1977, Norwood Hospital administration addressed growing concerns among Linden Street residents regarding how future hospital expansion might disrupt local traffic patterns. With the hospital moving forward with its acquisition of Winter Street—which previously provided a thoroughfare between the hospital and the town civic center—residents…
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