Reflections of the past: Celebrating Clinics and VBK

The Clinics and Vincent Burnham Kennedy (VBK) buildings have stood at the core of the MGH campus since 1903 and 1947, respectively. Many MGHers, patients, volunteers and friends have fond memories associated with these buildings, which have rich and extensive histories.

The Clinics Building, initially named the Out-Patient Building, was the original site for the MGH Department of Social Service – the first hospital-based social service department in the world. The first floor of the building was intended for male patients only but later was designated for female patients as well. Other departments occupying the building included Urology and Laryngology. Eventually, the building became a multi-use site for clinical support and office facilities for Anesthesia, Biomedical Engineering, Chaplaincy, Emergency, Volunteer and Interpreter Services, Policy and Security, and other units.

The VBK Building originally was named the Vincent-Burnham Building and served as an inpatient facility for departments such as Gynecology, Pediatrics and Neurology. In 1959, the Kennedy name was added in honor of the late Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., who died while serving in World War II and whose family made a charitable gift to the hospital to fund neurological research. The VBK Building later became the site for outpatient and administrative offices for the above-listed departments as well as Nuclear Cardiology, Echocardiography, Clinical Pathology and others.

In July, the Clinics and VBK buildings were vacated and closed in preparation for the construction of a new 530,000-square-foot inpatient facility, the Building for the Third Century. To mark this milestone and to commemorate the buildings before they are demolished in the fall, a reception will be held Sept. 20 from 2 to 4 pm under the Bulfinch Tent. All MGHers are invited to attend.

In anticipation of the reception, MGHers, volunteers and patients – past and present – are encouraged to submit their memories associated with the buildings to mghhotline@partners.org. These vignettes may be included in an upcoming issue of MGH Hotline or a poster display.