Past and Present: The Swedish Hospital

A Look at Brooklyn, then and now.

There was quite a large Swedish community in Brooklyn at the turn of the 20th century. In 1891, scholars estimated that there were at least 20,000 people of Swedish decent in the Cobble Hill area between Atlantic Avenue, Pacific Street, Fourth Avenue and Dean Street. Like most immigrant groups, the Swedes established their own churches, clubs, organizations and newspapers. Many Swedes were engineers and builders, and as time passed, Swedes moved out into other parts of Brooklyn, including the Prospect Heights and Crown Heights neighborhoods.

There were several prominent Swedish-American architects who were very instrumental in creating the Brooklyn we see today. Two of the most important were Magnus Dahlander and Axel Hedman.

Both men designed together as partners for a time, and both, together and separately, designed quite a few houses in both Crown Heights and Prospect Heights. They were quite familiar with the area, and quite prominent in the Swedish community, so it should come as no surprise that they would be involved in the creation of a Swedish hospital. Both men were on the committee to raise funds and build a hospital, and Magnus Dahlander submitted a drawing for the design of the hospital, and sat at the head of the building and fund raising committee. But it was Axel Hedman who is credited with the actual design.

The hospital utilized a large Second Empire mansion that stood at the corner of Sterling and Rogers, and Hedman modified it to the hospital’s needs, and added a two story addition that joined the original building. This hospital opened with great fanfare in 1906. Over the century, the hospital expanded, building a larger building next door, and eventually moving to the old Montrose Morris designed Chatelaine Hotel, on Grant Square, only block away from the hospital’s original site. Swedish Hospital stayed there until 1975. Old timers still refer to the building as the “Swedish Hospital”, although it has been affordable housing for many years now.

The original hospital building fell into decay, and there was a fire, although the large second, and later addition to the building still stands, and is now a church school and daycare center. The original mansion and addition, the Hedman buildings, have been a half demolished pile of bricks for many years, and make for interesting photography, but bad neighborhood policy. Hopefully something can be built on this site, and life returned to this corner of Crown Heights. GMAP

This Saturday, Oct. 1st, is the 5th annual Crown Heights North House Tour, sponsored by the Crown Heights North Association, Inc. (CHNA) It kicks off at 10:45, with a welcoming ceremony and breakfast, and runs from 11-4. Tickets are $20. in advance, at www.crownheightsnorth.org, or $25 at the door. We start at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, corner of Brooklyn Avenue and St. Johns Place. Take 3 train to Kingston Avenue. Tour is self-guided, and features 9 houses, as well as a church, community garden and rest stop. We have three Axel Hedman houses on the tour this year. We hope to see you there.