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Edward Millen Heritage Precinct
Edward Millen Rotunda Hospital
A big thankyou to the Town of Victoria Park for granting me permission
to photograph the Edward Millen Heritage Complex!
In 1911, midwife Elizabeth Baillie purchased a large parcel of land in East Victoria Park, stretching twice the size of today’s site and bounded by Albany Highway, Devenish Street, Hill View Terrace and what later became Baillie Avenue.
Soon after, the Rotunda Hospital was built on the site. Its design inspired by a maternity hospital of the same name in Dublin.
When the Spanish Influenza swept across the world after the First World War, the State Government temporarily took control of the hospital between June and September 1919 to treat local influenza patients.
The following year in 1920, the Repatriation Department compulsorily acquired the now-closed hospital to provide care for ex-servicemen suffering from tuberculosis. It was renamed Edward Millen Hospital, after the Australian federal politician who had been Minister for Repatriation. During this time, new wards were added, along with a fumigation facility and accommodation for orderlies. The Rotunda building itself was converted into staff quarters.
Hospital Wards (Rear)
Expansion continued in 1935 and by the late 1930s the hospital was still dedicated to tuberculosis treatment. Management shifted in 1942 to Royal Perth Hospital, which again admitted both civilian and military tuberculosis patients. That same year, new nurses’ quarters and an emergency operating theatre were built. Control eventually returned to the Repatriation Department, which continued to manage the hospital until 1982.
By the 1960s, demand for a dedicated tuberculosis hospital was waning. In 1961, Edward Millen shifted focus to geriatric care, taking in patients who required support but not the intensive medical attention of a general hospital.
Nurses' Quarters
Sometime in 1942, the night nurses’ quarters and an emergency operating theatre were constructed. Management returned to the Repatriation Department where it remained that way until 1982.
