The Floating Hospital history

The Floating Hospital has long been associated with the creative soul of NYC. Our first independently owned ship, The Emma Abbott, launched in 1875, was championed for and named after a prominent opera singer of the time.

Day-long excursions began on July 25, 1894, and continued throughout the summer.

*Walter Stanton, Chairman of The Floating Hospital, December 12, 1895

In the wake of the success of the first Floating Hospital, the first Helen C. Juilliard ship launched on May 4, 1899.

In 1905, due to the enormous success of the venture, Boston Floating Hospital was upgraded to a larger, 170-foot ship, expressly built to be a pediatric hospital.

In the black-and-white image from 1914, an unidentified child pokes his head through a life preserver with the words “The Boston Floating Hospital” around the rim.

In 1931, the Jackson Memorial Building opened, and Floating Hosptial became an expanded, year-round full service pediatric facility with ongoing research activities.

The third Floating Hospital, The Lloyd I. Seaman, was launched on May 30, 1935.

Floating Hospital for Children, now Tufts Children's Hospital, officially merged with Tufts Medical Center in 1965, but still retains its own identity and rich, historic tradition.

In 1982, the hospital moved into a state-of-the-art facility within the Tufts Medical Center complex.

In 2016, The Floating Hospital reached another milestone—celebrating its 150th Anniversary of ensuring that all families get a chance to be healthy and thrive.

*Herring, Bradley et al. “Comparing the Value of Nonprofit Hospitals’ Tax Exemption to Their Community Benefits.” Inquiry, Jan-Dec 2018