A century after it was built, Lambert House is getting a new address on the Bowmanville Hospital campus.
Lakeridge Health officials say the historic building, originally constructed in 1926 as a training facility and residence for nurses, will be moved this weekend from its current location on Mabel Bruce Way to another spot on hospital property, where it will face Prince Street. The building later served as office space for the Durham Regional Health Unit and the Bowmanville Hospital Foundation.
Lambert House is described as a Tudor Revival example from the early 20th century. It is a two-storey solid masonry building with a basement and a full attic beneath a steeply sloped roof. Keeping that kind of structural masonry intact while relocating a building is a reminder of what well-built brick and masonry assemblies can do over decades of use, even as a site evolves around them.
The revised relocation plan keeps the move entirely within the hospital grounds instead of using surface streets. Officials also say the new placement will help create a better transition between the redeveloped hospital and the residential neighborhood to the east. In its new location, Lambert House is expected to sit near the entrance of the redeveloped Bowmanville Hospital.
The move is tied to a broader redevelopment project that will double the hospital’s size, modernize care, and expand essential services as Durham Region’s population is projected to double by 2041. Once complete, the hospital is expected to include new ambulatory care clinics, a Haemodialysis Centre, Level 3 Critical Care capacity, and a rooftop helipad.
For mason contractors and restoration crews, projects like this also put a spotlight on the value of protecting historic masonry details during major site work, and planning carefully for how an older masonry structure will meet new site grades, access routes, and surrounding construction.
Read the full, original article from INsauga here.