Fargo VA Health Care System History

Fargo VA Health Care System History

In February 1925, a group of prominent Fargo leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with the Director of the US Veterans Bureau, General Frank T. Hines, to discuss the idea of creating a new Veterans hospital in the growing community. The group sees an increased need in the region to serve the Veterans of all wars, but most notably to address the influx of World War I soldiers. In December of that year, the proposed Fargo hospital is approved and the process of selecting a site is underway.

In 1926, the government purchases a 50-acre plot of farmland from Martin Hector north of Fargo to establish the hospital’s campus.

Workers break ground on July 2, 1928, for the 57-bed hospital and the first patient is admitted on June 10, 1929. On June 30, General Hines and the National Commander of the American legion, Paul V. McNutt, are on hand to officially dedicate the new Georgian Colonial hospital. This style, indicative of the Second Generation Veterans Hospitals, seeks to use features such as columned entrances, decorative pediments, and building symmetry to convey a patriotic or American language of design. The adjacent nurses’ quarters is constructed in the late 1920s.

It does not take very long for more buildings to begin sprouting up on the Fargo VA Hospital’s campus. The first of these ancillary buildings is the construction of the nurses’ quarters (building 2), beginning in 1929 northwest of the main hospital building. This white, two-story, wood framed building is designed in a similar style to the Georgian Colonial main hospital building, but on a more residential scale.

In 1932 a building is constructed east of the hospital (building 3). It is designed in a utilitarian style more indicative of its use as a garage maintenance shop. This building stands today and houses the campus Engineering Office. Also completed in 1932 is the garage structure (building 5), constructed of wood and clay tiles, now demolished. Although deemed adequate after construction, it is clear the original hospital building is not large enough for the regional demands on the building. Two wings are quickly added to Building 1, a north wing is added in 1932 and a south wing is added in 1938. Due to these additions, a building capacity of 184 beds is reached by the end of the 1930s.

Due to the economic impact of the Great Depression and focus on the war, very little major construction occurs in the first years of the 1940s. However, an unprecedented influx of wounded soldiers following the war leads to a rapid growth period at the Fargo VA Hospital. Built between 1945 and 1947, the largest and most influential building on campus is building 9. The 5-story, 220 bed building, according to noted regional architectural historian, Steve Martens, is the “most architecturally distinguished” building on campus and “an excellent example of mid-twentieth century Georgian Colonial Gothic architecture constructed under design auspices of a federal agency.”

The building features a red brick exterior with limestone belt coursing, sills, lintels, and sloped roofs with gabled dormers. On the west façade of the building, a large pedimented entrance portico overlooks the front lawn, garden, and ceremonial entrance drive. Following completion of this portion of the main hospital, the Fargo VA has a 400-bed capacity and is poised strategically to handle the influx of returning Veterans from World War II.

Four other buildings built in 1947 north of the main hospital create a service court concept for the expanding campus. The two-story building 10 serves as the boiler plant for the campus and features a brick exterior that matches the hospital. Buildings 11, 12, and 13 serve as the Maintenance Garage, the Warehouse, and the Hospital Laundry respectively. These buildings still have similar functions today, providing the VA campus with utilitarian support. They are comprised of a matching brick and window style to create cohesiveness with the main hospital building.

The VA has undergone multiple changes since the 50s, each to better serve the Veterans of the area. In 1959, a utilitarian addition is made to the complex with the building 38 Engineering Shops. In 1978, an affiliation with the University of North Dakota Medical School is formed when a new education building is built on the grounds.

Building 46, constructed between 1983 and 1986, fills the space between building 1 and building 9. The in-fill occupies previous courtyards between the two historic hospital buildings. The modernist design differs from the historical context which it is placed into. These additions have the red brick of the original hospital, but the expansive window and stonework render them easily distinguishable from the previous buildings. Functionally serving as support and diagnostic technologies, the expansions go against the original “winged plan” hospital layout that embodies the earlier buildings.

Today, The Fargo VA Health Care System is a Joint Commission accredited medical/surgical hospital with 36 acute care beds, a 38 bed Community Living Center, Primary Care and Specialty Medicine Clinics, 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics, and one Community Resource Referral Center.

The Fargo VA Health Care System oversees the provision of health care to more than 34,000 Veterans living in North Dakota, 17 counties in northwest Minnesota, and one northeast South Dakota county. The Medical Center is affiliated with the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, North Dakota State University and several other institutions. We provide training to medical Students, residents in Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Surgery, Pharmacists, Nursing, Psychology, Imaging, Social Work, Chiropractic, and more.

The Fargo VA Health Care System is continually innovating as evidenced by our many improvement and expansion projects. In recent years, the Fargo VA Health Care System opened several new and expanded departments, to include:

• New Imaging department with new state-of-the art equipment.
• New Community Living Center with 38 private rooms, large recreation and dining atriums, and beautiful views of the Red River.
• New Primary Care clinic space with 30 additional exam rooms.
• New Laboratory.
• New Intensive Care & Dialysis Unit.
• New Emergency Department.
• New CBOCs in Bemidji, Grafton, Minot, Dickinson, and Williston.
• New Community Resource and Referral Center in downtown Fargo.
• New main entrance and lobby.
• New Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech, and Prosthetics space.