Key Number:	HS 31482
Site Name:	Keen Hospital
Other Names:	Nanton Hospital Old Hospital
Site Type:	1503 - Medical: Hospital or Infirmary

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			16	28	4

Address:	2207 - 20 Street
Number:	7
Street:	20
Avenue:	22
Other:
Town:	Nanton
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:
Plan Shape:	Rectangular
Storeys:	Storeys: 2
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Concrete
Superstructure:	Nailed Frame
Superstructure Cover:
Roof Structure:	Low Gable
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:
Exterior:	Roofing is wood shingles.
Interior:	N/A
Environment:	It's the second house on the south side of 20 Street.
Condition:	Structure: Good. Repair: Good. 9 JUL 1981.
Alterations:	N/A

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Constructed	1927/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Residence Hospital	1927/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
N/A

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	Built in 1927 on the site of the American restaurant. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ; When the Calgary Edmonton Railway was extended south to Macleod in 1892, lands were opened up for homesteading, and small communities began to evolve along the rail line where the C E had erected sidings. One of these was Nanton, which began to expand rapidly after the turn of the last century when certain of the large grazing leases south of Calgary were subdivided into quarter sections for homestead. When a sub-agency of the Dominion Land Office was located there in 1904, Nanton’s status as a district metropolis was virtually assured. Three years later, it was incorporated as a Town with over 1,000 people. Among the services required of a southern foothills town were medical facilities, and, in 1903, Dr. James Creighton arrived and was soon joined by Dr. Troll. Troll was gone within two years however and replaced by G.M. Robertson who opened a pharmacy in co-operation with Creighton. In the meantime, Dr, James Allan opened his medical office in the Shaw and Glendenning Building on Railway Avenue, while Dr. William H. Keen established a practice in the upper floor of the Ferris Ransom Building down the street. For 20 years, Drs. Keen and Creighton treated patients from within their confined offices, with people requiring hospitalization being sent to High River or Calgary. Then, during 1926-27, two hospitals emerged. In the Shaw Cooper Block, newly arrived Dr. George Wannop opened a facility, which was used primarily as a maternity hospital and would soon be taken over by Nurse Millard as Matron. A Dr.Tiffen would later join Millard and the facility moved to the Langstroth Building, but it would close during the early years of the depression. Dr. Keen however built a larger hospital on his initiative in 1927, this being a three-story brick structure also on Railway Avenue. With accommodation for 12 patients and containing its own dispensary, it was described by the Nanton News as “modern throughout” and having “the most up to date electrical equipment in the province for the treatment of disease…. There are two bath rooms, a kitchen and a sun room, and a water system with electric pump.” The hospital was owned by Keen and run as a private hospital with Dr. Creighton also treating patients there. Keen was assisted by his wife, Edith, who was a graduate of St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, Ontario, and a Miss Adams, a graduate of Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary. He would continue to run the facility until passing away in 1937. In 1938, it was taken over by Dr. Hector Mackenzie, with Edith briefly presiding over the local branch of the Red Cross from its premises. In 1940, Dr. Mackenzie enlisted for military service and Dr. Creighton retired, and the hospital was closed down. It was soon converted for use as an apartment block, with the ground floor coming to accommodate various commercial purposes over the years. The historical significance of the old Nanton Hospital lies in its service as a medical facility to the community of Nanton and its large mixed farming hinterland between 1927 and 1940. It stands today as one of several landmarks on Railway Avenue. It is also significant in its association with Drs. William Keen and James Creighton, two long-standing and prominent members of the community who were prominent in sports as well as local politics. In 1926, Keen ran unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate for Nanton in the provincial election.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:

Register:	N/A

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: