History

American Lake VA Medical Center

The American Lake campus began in 1923 as the 94th Veterans Hospital to be built by the War Department for the provision of care to World War I Veterans. The Secretary of the Army authorized, under a revocable license, the Veteran Bureau's use of 377 acres of the 87,000 acre Fort Lewis property. The Hurley-Mason Company was awarded contracts for the construction of the facility and work was soon started on Veterans Hospital Number 94.

A site chosen on the western shores of American Lake soon became home for the new buildings of Spanish American architecture. Many of the stucco and terra cotta buildings are listed on the National Register of Historical Buildings, and are still enjoyed by both patients and staff for their esthetic beauty.

The medical center was dedicated in 1924 and chartered with a single mission - neuro-psychiatric treatment. On March 15, 1924, the first 50 patients were admitted to the hospital, by transfer, from Western State Hospital at Fort Steilacoom.

Over the years, American Lake grew from its original mission of a neuro-psychiatric facility, to a multi-care facility. In the 1960's and 1970's Ambulatory Surgical Services, a 76-bed Nursing Home Unit, Blind Rehabilitation Services, a Substance Abuse Treatment Program, and a 60-bed homeless Domiciliary were added to expand the scope of care to Veterans.

In the 1980's and 1990's, additional special programs such as Vocational Rehabilitation, a Residential Care Program, and a Post Traumatic Stress Treatment Program were added. In 1998, Building 81 was renovated and an addition added that allowed for relocation and expansion of Primary Care Services and a Women's Health Clinic.

Ongoing remodeling, upgrading and expansion of the facilities will occur while preserving the historical character of this beautiful campus.

Seattle VA Medical Center

After the end of World War II, the VA found it necessary to locate a facility in the booming metropolis of Seattle to accommodate many returning war Veterans.

The Seattle Division was constructed from 1949 to 1951, on a 44-acre site that had been a part of Jefferson Park. The site was dedicated on May 15, 1951, on Beacon Hill, with views of downtown Seattle and the Puget Sound to the North and Northwest; Mt. Rainier and the Cascade mountain range to the South and Southeast.

In 1967, a research wing was added as well as a new patient care facility in 1985. A portion of Building 18 was remodeled in 1997 for the General Internal Medicine Clinic to be used as a primary and managed care facility.

In 2018, a 220,000-square-foot 5-story expansion opened to provide outpatient mental health care services, from medication management and psychosocial case management to Dialectical Behavior Therapy and evidence-based individual, family and group psychotherapy for all major mental health diagnoses.

Today, we're undergoing an unprecedented phase of remodeling and expansion at Seattle to better serve our Veterans.