From the start, the hospital was associated with McGill University, rapidly becoming a world-renowned teaching hospital and clinical-care facility, and the site of pioneering research. With its various wings and pavilions added over the years and its location on the flank of Mount Royal, the “Royal Vic” is a complex and prestigious assortment of buildings with outstanding views of the city and the surrounding landscape. The parcelling of volumes and asymmetrical arrangement of the more recent wings highlight the topography of the site.

On the morning of April 26, 2015, with the opening of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) superhospital on the Glen Campus, west of downtown Montreal, the vast majority of departments vacated the Royal Victoria Hospital. The 13-hectare site is currently the subject of an $8-million study to examine the feasibility of integrating the buildings into the McGill University campus—a plan that has been generally well received, but that will likely be long, complex and costly. Rehabilitating the site for public use would present a fine opportunity to re-establish a link between downtown and Mount Royal, but a good deal of uncertainty remains with regard the current state of the buildings, pending their repurposing.

The former Royal Victoria Hospital is just one of many now-vacant hospital complexes in Montreal, in the wake of decisions to centralize hospital services—a trend seen not only in Quebec’s largest city but in other cities around the world. Changing demographics, transformations to social policies and programs, technological advances as well as financial and regulatory considerations related to the upkeep of built heritage frequently result in the decommissioning of these large sites. Yet major hospital complexes are undeniably significant parts of cities’ built heritage, having great historical, architectural and social value.