Aspen Valley Hospital history

The careful planning and thrifty management of the Citizens' Hospital could not prevent the nearly crippling blow that fell only two years after it opened its doors: the repeal of the Sherman Act and the demonetization of silver on November 4, 1893.

A performance at the Isis Theater in 1923 raised $102.80 for coal.

In 1933, the Twinings took over the hospital and ran it almost single-handedly, leasing it from the Citizens’ Hospital Association and agreeing to pay 5 percent of the net revenue over $3,000.

William Fiske III, United States bobsled champion in the 1936 Olympics, was looking for a place to develop a first-class ski resort.

Then, in 1945, Walter Paepcke visited Aspen and unveiled plans to create a setting for an intellectually and culturally enriching life.

The arrangement lasted until 1946, when Doc Twining died suddenly at age 71, ending a unique era in Aspen’s history.

Also in 1957, the first board-certified orthopedist, Doctor Bob Oden, arrived, and Doctor Baxter was asked to speak at an orthopedic meeting of the American Medical Association.

In the fall of 1959, the first new wing opened—built behind the hospital and attached by a ramp.

Their formal organization, founded in 1960, became known as the “Blue Ladies” for the uniforms they wore.

While the final phase of construction of the middle hospital was completed in 1962 under Janzen’s supervision, he is more frequently remembered as the person who held a community contest to find a new name for the hospital.

By early 1976, two-thirds of the needed $1,500,000 in private money was raised.

On October 25, 1977, the new 49-bed hospital was officially dedicated at its new home on Castle Creek Road.

In March 1979, the Aspen Valley Medical Foundation announced plans to raise money for the purchase of nine acres adjacent to the hospital that would be saved for future expansion.

Called Mountain Oaks, the housing complex opened in 1989.

Not far away, under the leadership of Doctor Whitcomb, another special population was provided for in 1990 at Castle Creek Terrace (now called Whitcomb Terrace), an assisted living facility with private apartments.

The hospital’s centennial year was celebrated by hundreds of citizens with a picnic on the hospital lawn in 1991.

Many considered the project too large, and the bond issue was soundly defeated in 1993.

In 1998, the Midvalley Medical Center opened in Basalt.

By 2000, more than 60 percent of revenues came from outpatient care.

Revenue bonds, however (which didn’t require voter approval) were issued for some internal renovations and an expansion of the Aspen Birth Center which opened in the fall of 2008.

By fall of 2012, a large portion of the expansion had been completed, including the Evelyn H. Lauder Patient Care Pavilion, rehabilitation facilities, and a new cafeteria, the Castle Creek Cafe.