Organizer Profile
California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) Foundation

California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) Foundation

Los Angeles, California, United States of America

It was 1887 when Dr. Walter Lindley decided to build a hospital in Los Angeles. Over a century later, California Hospital Medical Center remains a cornerstone of LA and is a recognized leader in excellence, innovation and community service.

California Hospital was originally a three-story building located at 315 W. Sixth Street in Los Angeles. On the first floor of the structure were offices of established physicians. On the second floor there were several small offices occupied by younger physicians and a dentist. Although there were no elevators in the building, the third floor contained a small hospital of six to eight beds. After all, our forebearers believed a beautiful view was key to healing.

Dr. Lindley conceived of a hospital owned and operated solely by physicians. The physicians in Lindley's building were "carriage trade" and were affiliated with the University of Southern California Medical School. Twenty-one physicians agreed to acquire property at the corner of 15th and Hope which was a quiet residential street of attractive homes. When the property on Hope Street had been acquired, the first physician-owned and operated hospital in Los Angeles was erected at 1414 S. Hope Street. It was the first building in California especially invented for medical purposes - a project that Walter Lindley supervised at every stage of its design and construction.