Renwick Hospital for Infants, Summer Hill

The Renwick Hospital for Infants was opened at Summer Hill by the Benevolent Society in 1921. It replaced the previous Renwick Hospital for Infants at Thomas Street in Sydney and was a lying-in hospital and a hospital for children whose parents could not afford to pay for their medical care. Renwick Hospital at Summer Hill closed in 1965. The NSW Government bought the site and established Grosvenor Hospital, a disability institution, in the same buildings.

In 1919 the Society acquired two properties in Summer Hill for the relocation of the Renwick Hospital from Thomas Street. The main building, ‘Carleton’, dated from 1884 and fronted Liverpool Road, while an adjacent building, ‘Queen’s College’, fronted Grosvenor Crescent.

Patients were transferred to the new hospital from the Thomas Street buildings in October 1921 and it was officially opened on 7 November of that year by Dame Margaret Davidson. Buildings were added to the site in 1926 and 1930.

On 24 June 1937 The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a new wing of the hospital at Summer Hill was to be opened. The article stated that the wards in the new block were painted in hues of primrose, and it was ‘a cheerful modern building, equipped with all the latest devices, including a solarium to add comfort to the children’s lives and assist the organisation of the nurses’ work.’ The article reported that 20,000 children had been treated at Renwick during the 18 years of its existence.

After the new wing was opened ‘Carleton’ became an administrative building. The Thomas Street wards, in Haymarket, continued to be used as the hospital’s outpatients department until its closure in December 1957.

In 1964, the Benevolent Society accepted an offer from the State Government to acquire the Renwick Hospital for Infants, which resulted in the closure of the hospital at the beginning of 1965.

In 2012-2013, according to knowthatproperty.com.au, the site was being redeveloped as apartments. The 20th century hospital buildings have been demolished.