It’s the oldest public hospital in the country, opening in 1736 first as a six-bed infirmary in the almshouse in today’s City Hall Park.
Soon after, thanks to a yellow fever epidemic, it moved to what was then considered way uptown, to the former Belle Vue Farm overlooking the East River near Kips Bay in 1794.
This wonderful postcard view of one of Bellevue’s buildings at First Avenue and 26th Street is undated, unfortunately.
I’d place it at about 1900, after the hospital had already racked up an impressive number of firsts: the first maternity ward, the first emergency pavilion and ambulance service, the first appendectomy, the first hospital with a building devoted to the insane and a unit specifically for alcoholics.
Tags: 26th Street photo, Bellevue Hospital, Bellevue Hospital in the 19th century, First Avenue photo, New York 1900, street scene New York City, Victorian buildings New York, Victorian hospital New York, Vintage postcards New York City
Ephemeral New York 
March 2, 2013 at 3:55 am |
Too bad that Victorian building is no longer evident. So picturesque. Scouting ny did a couple of articles about Bellevue as well. Interesting stuff.
March 2, 2013 at 4:18 am |
Here is Scout’s post. Very cool!
http://www.scoutingny.com/?p=4741
March 2, 2013 at 10:33 am |
Wow, some changes were made at the front of Bellevue since I was last there about 20 years ago. Impressive but sad that the old has been covered up with glass. Reminds me the vast park land at the VA building on 23rd St & 1st Ave before they put up an ugly huge hospital building. Totally changed the area.
March 2, 2013 at 2:28 pm |
[…] Bellevue Hospital in the Victorian era. […]
March 7, 2013 at 10:11 pm |
This post card was published sometime between 1904 and probably 1910. The building that is the furthest east is the A&B building, the first to be put up as part of the McKim Meade and White architectural group. The building closest to first avenue is the Marquand Pavilion. A gift to the hospital which cared for women and children. The A&B building was started in 1904 on extended bulkhead. The entire new campus was not completed until 1941. The depression and both World Wars slowed the construction.
February 17, 2014 at 5:54 am |
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