Comments on: Past Post: U.S. Public Health Service Hospital

By: John A. Cooper

John A. Cooper — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 22:57:18 +0000

I spent 1941 through 1945 on the station where my father was chief of surgery. These were war years and we saw little of him as he operated almost non-stop mainly on merchant seamen. I was 10 years old when we first arrived there and we played foorball constantly with other station kids on the big lawn in front of the hospital. It was from there one day when we saw a hurge burning four engine aircraft nearly miss the hospital as it was trying to land at nearby Boeing field. We learned later that it was a B-17 prototype. We also saw, one day, a Russion sailor jump out of a window many floors from the ground. After the scene was cleared, we kids rushed over and looked at the hole in the ground where the poor manlanded. We lived in the quarters on the 12th street side nearest the hospital where my mother and we kids planted our Victory Garden. Running out of room here.

By: Jim A

Jim A — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 01:05:27 +0000

My Dad and Grandfather were members of the Coast and Geodetic Survey when I was growing in the late 50′s and early 60′s. And my Mom was a Nurse there from the late 40′s until 1971. I will always remeber the Emergency Room/ Clinc area in the East end of the building (they patched me up a few times) and another place I remember is the Coffee SDhop they had there. It is a beautiful building and full of memories

By: D. Polhamius

D. Polhamius — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 06:53:34 +0000

My paternal grandmother Marjorie Polhamius was chief personnel officer there in the early 70′s. I was all over that place.

By: LCDR Michael Kelly

LCDR Michael Kelly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:33:50 +0000

I am an active duty USPHS Commissioned Officer stationed in Seattle. I have been enthralled with the history and architecture ot eh part of my Corps’ past and would be interested in finding out about opportuinites to get involved with preserving its history.

By: Victor Palmieri

Victor Palmieri — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:37:01 +0000

I was a U.S. Public Health Service Dental Officer in this impressive building from July 1979 until January 1981. I was a specialty resident in Endodontics there while receiving graduate training at UW. I remember the vastness of the structure, all the marable and brass and the spectular view from the roof , to which I was treated by a colleague of mine,
I remember the beautiful grounds and the out buildings which had been converted into office space. The dental clinc on the first floor was very large and always busy providing services to very worthy beneficiaries. Unfortunately I was one of the last residents to leave in 1981 when all the hospitals in the system were being closed. It was a fine institution for learning and delivery of care. As I return some 30 years later it is heartwarming to view this impressive building from afar and hope it is maintained and put to good use.

By: CM Meyer

CM Meyer — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:51:37 +0000

My Dad, Dr. Clinton B Sayler, was Cheif of Radiology in the early 60′s here.

By: John Briggs

John Briggs — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:13:21 +0000

I spent many mornings waiting in the lobby of the hospital while my father, Dr. Richard Briggs, did the rounds of his patients there. I like the hospital and hope it continues to be put to good use. All the best, John.

By: Barb

Barb — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:07:51 +0000

Howdy all-

I used to have an office in this building when I worked for Amazon and spent many late night hours here, pretty much alone on my floor. No ghosts ever visited me, and no one ever talked about having experiences themselves. Great building, though nothing was saved past the lobby- the interior floors are a huge disappointment style-wise.

By: Lee A.

Lee A. — Sun, 18 May 2008 15:26:39 +0000

My father was chief of the otolaryngology clinic from 1954 to 1971 and we lived on the property. The housing and grounds were desigined originally for the chiefs of the various clinics and their families; I was born on First Hill and raised on the hospital grounds (quarters 8 then 6), we moved away in 1971 (all the way to Sequim). What great memories! I’d enjoy seeing a reunion of some sort for the children of the doctors and nurses from the hospital! These submissions are wonderful!
Yes, years later in talking with a friend from my junior high school years, he always thought the hospital and grounds were an “insane asylum”.

By: Julie Anne

Julie Anne — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:28:42 +0000

It’s like homecoming week at the USPSH!

As a Marine Corps brat whose career-service Dad volunteered way too many tours in Vietnam to scramble up the promotion ladder (while we lived here in Seattle), I remember going here for doctor’s appointments all through the 60′s, 70′s and early 80′s. I think the last time was about 1984.

For some reason, the military’s idea of a kids’ avearge annual physical for school and sports always included a blood draw. And not just a pinprick on the finger – but a couple of full vials drawn from the inside elbow vein.

I had my worst and best “stick” ever in that building. The worst was horrible, I was tiny and the needle was huge, the gruff woman phlebotamist uncaring and irritated by the fact that I had the audacity to be a child, and it soured me to most needles to this day.

But a year later, a big African-American Sergeant, who easily could have played linebacker for the Bears of the ’80s, noticed I was having a little terror fit in the blood room, and set me on his lap and showed me all his instruments, calmed me down, and drew the gentlest, most skillful blood sample I’ve ever had. I remember the floor was black and white travertine tile set on the diagonal with a border of smaller tiles in this area, because that’s what he kept me focused on counting the tiles, while he tricked me into not noticing he was drawing my blood!