What Happened to Osler Hall

For years, actually, ever since I started working at MedChi, I've wondered what happened to Osler Hall. The front hall, leading to Osler Hall is beautifully finished, with marble stairs, elaborate wood millwork and trim, and an overall elegant look. 

However, when one enters Osler Hall, all of that elegance falls away. We upgraded it a few years ago, re-hanging the portrait collection, and adding chair-rails, trim around the doors, and a new two-color paint job.

I wondered for years why the room, named for our most illustrious member, was so absolutely plain. In 1909, when the building was finished, Sir William Osler came from Oxford, England for its opening. He was so pleased that the large hall had been named for him. 

But what happened in the 50 years after the building opened to such fanfare, and why was Osler Hall the worst room in the place?

Finally, I found a clue. It was a bronze plaque that mentioned the "reconstruction" of the building and had a date of April 6, 1963 on it. 

So what was the reconstruction all about? Was there a fire? Something catastrophic that happened? I decided to see what I could find, so I started with the 1963 Maryland Medical Journal, which, naturally, only had its index on-line. After flipping through April, and then May, I didn't find anything.

So I went back a year and checked the 1962 Medical Journal, also not on-line! Finally, there it was! In the Transactions section, an entire article outlined what had happened. 

Once the building hit its 50th Anniversary in 1959, the members thought that the building might need some renovations. They added an elevator, refurbished the kitchen, reshaped some offices, and then "refreshed" Osler Hall. Obviously, this was when the architect decided to make the space mid-century modern by removing all of the classical details which made the room unique. 

Out went all of the trim. Out went the flooring. Out! Out! Out! But what they added were folding floor-to-ceiling room dividers capable of separating the room into smaller sections. However, I can't imaging that sitting in a room (with smokers) which didn't have any ventilation. 

The room had a drop ceiling, which we've since found out doesn't have ANY insulation, resulting in the room being chilly in the winter and hot during the summer. Additionally, all of the portraits were hung from black wires from the top of the walls.

The architect, Henry P. Hopkins, talks about streamlining the room to make it modern and cozy. For a long time, it was painted a very dull pale green and all of the county flags were in the front of the room. The dais, which you can see in the picture above, was expanded with several different woods, so it was repainted during the 2017 renovation. (Click here)

While Osler Hall wasn't destroyed by fire or catastrophe, it was destroyed in the name of progress and MCM architecture.