Ripley Memorial Maternity Hospital in Minneapolis

The Martha G. Ripley Hospital for Women was a pioneering institution in the history of Minnesota. After its incorporation in 1887, the hospital was housed in a 20-room building at 2529 Fourth Avenue South. When it moved to its location in north Minneapolis in 1896, the hospital had gained a reputation for its compassionate treatment of unwed and/or low-income mothers.

The hospital boasted a self-supporting financial base, its exclusive management of female physicians and board members, a philosophy of specialized and individualized medical care, and a reputation for progressive work in social service. The hospital’s founder, Dr. Martha G. Ripley, was a well-known advocate of women’s rights and social reform in Minneapolis for over thirty years.

During the majority of the hospital’s operation, the complex included four buildings: The Ripley Hospital was built in 1916. Prior to its construction, the hospital was located inside the large home of the family that previously owned the five-acre property.

Next door, the Emily Paddock Cottage was constructed in 1910 as a residential cottage for nurses. The Babies’ Bungalow was built in 1910 as an intensive care and isolation unit for sick infants. The Marshall Stacy Nursery was built in 1909 was used as a home for unwed mothers and their babies. It was razed in 1965.

The hospital closed in 1956. The buildings were sold to Children’s Hospital and the assets retained to create the Ripley Memorial Foundation, which provided financial support for activities that promoted the welfare of women and children, particularly pregnant women, as well as single mothers and their children. The Queen Care Nursing Home used the buildings until 2000. They were then vacant until 2006 when Aeon, a non-profit developer of affordable housing, purchased and converted the hospital and its cottages to housing.