Administrative History

In 1875, a Homeopathic Hospital (later to be called Metropolitan Hospital) was established by the New York Department of Public Charities and Correction. It was established on Ward’s Island, opposite Manhattan Island, in buildings which formerly housed the Inebriate Asylum of New York City. From the beginning, Metropolitan Hospital has been affiliated with New York Medical College, and it is designated a university hospital. This is the oldest American partnership between a hospital and a medical school.[1] In 1892 a Training School for Nurses was organized at the hospital.

The original nurses’ quarters were located on the top floor of the hospital. One alumnae of the school wrote: “Although these quarters were crowded, two or three nurses occupying one room, and the only room which was not used as bedroom doing duty as both living-room and lecture room, yet no one complained and we had very happy times there.[2]” In the beginning, the students took care of the female patients only. Commencement exercises were not held for graduating students until 1903.

In 1894, the hospital moved to Blackwell’s Island (the name of which would later change to Roosevelt Island) and the name of the hospital was changed to Metropolitan Hospital. By 1907 the hospital reached a 1300 bed capacity and was the largest general hospital in the United States. Over the years, the hospital continued to grow and expand its scope. From 1949 to 1952 a home care service was instituted , and Metropolitan Hospital quickly grew to have the highest number of home care patients in the city hospital system.

In 1955, Metropolitan Hospital moved yet again. Its new location encompassed two city blocks in Manhattan. The hospital quickly outgrew its new home, and between 1957 to 1965, the facilities were greatly expanded, including the addition of a 14-story nurses’ residence. However, the School of Nursing closed its doors in 1958.

The Alumnae Association of Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing has been active since 1903. The Alumnae Association has been the group primarily responsible for preserving the history of the School. Throughout the years, they have arranged for numerous publications concerning the School’s history and status.

All information from the Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing Collection.

Scope and Contents Notes

This collection contains records of the business activities of Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing and the Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Association from 1873 to 1997. It contains annual reports of the school, information about alumnae, records of Alumnae Association events, class notes, photographs and artifacts.

Highlights of the collection include a selection of class photographs dating back to 1893 and photographs of students in uniform inside and on the grounds of the school dating back to the early 1900s. These large, well-preserved photographs give a glimpse of the unique life of students living, learning and working on Blackwell’s Island. In some of the photographs the island’s distinctive lighthouse can be seen.

Another strong area of the collection are the class notebooks of Edna Hunt Cross. Cross was a graduate of the school who went on to teach. Her notebooks shed light on what a student of Metropolitan School of Nurses in the 1920s and 1930s would have been expected to do and know.

The collection also includes a variety of uniforms worn by Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing Students. Nursing school uniforms, which were unique to the different schools of nursing, provided students with a strong sense of identity as a nurse and as a student of their particular school.

The collection is divided into three (3) series described in detail below.

Series Descriptions

Series 1: Administration and History, 1873-1997, Arranged alphabetically by subject.
7.0 cubic feetAdministrative records of the alumnae association and the school of nursing. These records include accounts ledgers, annual reports and files on alumnae. They also include some publications: a yearbook, student handbook, the script to the promotional film “Meet the Met” and newsletters. Finally, this series includes histories of the school and Welfare Island compiled by alumnae. This collection includes artifacts such as student uniforms and caps, the school flag and the film and videotapes of “Meet the Met.”
Edna Hunt Cross Papers, 1919-1991, Arranged alphabetically by subject.
0.9 cubic feetThe professional papers of Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing alumnae and faculty member Edna Hunt Cross. These papers include class notebooks from her days as both student and teacher, licenses, certificates and awards, and professional publications and conference material. Her papers also include some alumnae association materials and personal photographs, as well as the apron from her school uniform.
Series 3: Photographs, 1893-1985, Arranged alphabetically by subject.
0.4 cubic feetHighlights of the photographs series include class photographs dating back to 1893, other photographs of students in uniform dating back to 1900 and a large selection of photographs of the buildings and grounds of the school and the hospital.
Oversize Box
1.5 cubic feetPrimarily consists of oversize photographs and other visual material.

Footnotes

• [1]Office of Communications and Marketing. “New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.” Accessed October 24, 2003 at http://www.nyc.gov/html/hhc/home.html. 2003
• [2]Ed. Datesman, Sabra H. and E. Beatrice Christie. Report Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing 1892-1933 and Alumnae Association of the Metropolitan Hospital School of Nursing 1903-1933. Welfare Island: New York City. 1933. p. 55