I visited the site nearly 10 years ago now with a dear friend. It took written permission back then just to photograph the exteriors of the buildings. No chance of shooting the interiors at all - unless I was a 'business' like a film company or professional photographer that they could charge for access to the buildings.
Well this Sunday we just drove on through as simple as that, even passing security guard patrols as we roamed around as they did the same. We witnessed a 'jail break' while we were meandering around the rabbit warren of roads on the nearly 900 acre property.
We drove through the labyrinth losing all track of time. God knows how long we would have been there if we'd been on foot! And we only saw a small portion of the buildings on the site.
The hospital was once known as Essondale Hospital run by a Dr Henry Esson Young (1862 - 1939).
In 1904 the government bought 1000 acres of land in the then still rural Coquitlam for the hospital and for Colony Farms.
In 1911 Provincial botanist John Davidson put up an arboretum and botanical garden on the hospital grounds that was tended by some patients that was seen as therapy. The arboretum remains but the botanical gardens were moved to UBC in 1916.
The permanent 'mental hospital' was open in 1913 housing over 300 seriously mentally-ill male patients. Originally built to house 480 patients by the end of the frst year there were 919.
In 1927 the hospital facilities had turned into a small community with shops, a school and a fire hall. By then Colony Farms was producing 700 tonnes of produce and 20,000 gallons of milk annually.
In 1930. the 675 bed female chronic unit was open (West Lawn).
In 1934 the veteran\s unit was open.
In 1955 the tuberculosis unit was filled.
In 1956 4306 patient were at the facilities.
In 1984 West Lawn closed and 141 acres of upper hillside were sold off for family housing.
Gradually buildings have been closed. Left to decay and crumble with no plans of saving the structures what so ever.
In 1987 official plans were drawn up to permanently close Riverview Hospital.
Today the Riverview Hospital has been renamed. səmiq̓wəʔelə - Place of the Great Blue Heron.
Today some of the remaining buildings are still in use. And new facilities have gone up to house and treat a new generation of patients.
