The Royal Victoria Hospital was established in 1893 in the historic Golden Square Mile through donations by two public-spirited Scottish immigrants, the cousins Donald Smith, 1st Lord Strathcona, and George Stephen, 1st Lord Mount Stephen.
In 1887, they announced a joint gift of C$1,000,000 for the construction of a free hospital in Montreal and purchased a site on Mount Royal for a further C$86,000.
The site they bought was the old Frothingham estate that covered ten acres of land.
During 1897 and 1898, Smith and Stephen gave another C$1,000,000 between them in Great Northern Railroad securities to establish an endowment fund to maintain the hospital.
Stephen and Smith attached one caveat to their generous contribution to the City of Montreal: the hospital's land and its buildings must only ever be used for healing.

The founders intended the Royal Vic "to be for the use of the sick and ailing without distinction of race or creed," and when it opened in 1893 it was hailed as the "finest and most perfectly equipped (hospital) on the great American continent".
The hospital originally had 150 employees, including 14 medical doctors.

Over the years, the philanthropy and business acumen of many of the residents of the Golden Square Mile - the prominent members of Montreal's English speaking community - brought the hospital global recognition as a major centre of healthcare and learning.
Major contributors included James Ross, Richard Angus, Sir Vincent Meredith and Sir Montagu Allan.

In 1920, the hospital became a medical research institute through the McGill University Faculty of Medicine.
In 1929, Dr. Wilder Penfield established the Montreal Neurological Institute adjacent to the hospital.
 Among the list of medical achievements at the Royal Victoria was the first successful kidney transplant in the Commonwealth in 1958.
 It was achieved by a team led by nephrologist John Dossetor and surgeons Joe Luke and Ken MacKinnon.
Today, the Royal Victoria Hospital is part of the McGill University Health Centre.

Amid the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, the hospital is currently being used as an isolation unit for homeless people who have been infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as well as those awaiting test results.
The Royal Victoria Hospital was established in 1893 in the historic Golden Square Mile through donations by two public-spirited Scottish immigrants, the cousins Donald Smith, 1st Lord Strathcona, and George Stephen, 1st Lord Mount Stephen. In 1887, they announced a joint gift of C$1,000,000 for the construction of a free hospital in Montreal and purchased a site on Mount Royal for a further C$86,000. The site they bought was the old Frothingham estate that covered ten acres of land. During 1897 and 1898, Smith and Stephen gave another C$1,000,000 between them in Great Northern Railroad securities to establish an endowment fund to maintain the hospital. Stephen and Smith attached one caveat to their generous contribution to the City of Montreal: the hospital's land and its buildings must only ever be used for healing.
The founders intended the Royal Vic "to be for the use of the sick and ailing without distinction of race or creed," and when it opened in 1893 it was hailed as the "finest and most perfectly equipped (hospital) on the great American continent". The hospital originally had 150 employees, including 14 medical doctors.
Over the years, the philanthropy and business acumen of many of the residents of the Golden Square Mile - the prominent members of Montreal's English speaking community - brought the hospital global recognition as a major centre of healthcare and learning. Major contributors included James Ross, Richard Angus, Sir Vincent Meredith and Sir Montagu Allan.
In 1920, the hospital became a medical research institute through the McGill University Faculty of Medicine. In 1929, Dr. Wilder Penfield established the Montreal Neurological Institute adjacent to the hospital.  Among the list of medical achievements at the Royal Victoria was the first successful kidney transplant in the Commonwealth in 1958.  It was achieved by a team led by nephrologist John Dossetor and surgeons Joe Luke and Ken MacKinnon. Today, the Royal Victoria Hospital is part of the McGill University Health Centre.
Amid the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, the hospital is currently being used as an isolation unit for homeless people who have been infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as well as those awaiting test results.
Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal