Dr. Martha Ripley

Ripley, born in 1843, decided to study medicine when, as a volunteer nurse, an infant in her care died of the croup. She obtained her degree in Massachusetts and then moved with her husband and three daughters to Minnesota, where she established Maternity Hospital.

The hospital opened in 1886 in a small house on 15th Street in Minneapolis with

By the turn of the century, the Maternity Hospital was located in a house (left) at Glenwood and Penn avenues

only three patients.

From the beginning, the hospital doors were open to everyone, regardless of financial means, marital status, age, or ethnicity. Unwed women, who in the 1880s were seen as undeserving of medical care, found compassionate care at Ripley's hospital.

Ripley's zeal was directed toward reducing the deaths of both women and infants in childbirth. The practices she employed to that end often caused a stir. Hospital deliveries themselves were a rarity in the United States until the 1910s. Ripley also

The Martha G. Ripley Building of the Maternity Hospital was completed in 1915

caused a scandal by hemming her skirts above the floor for better sanitation.

In other "firsts," the hospital was the first to allow mothers and infants to room together and among the first to offer natural childbirth options.

Maternity Hospital's statistics were enviable, with the maternal death rate a quarter of the average. As her reputation grew, Ripley was called on to lecture in obstetrics and pediatrics in medical colleges in Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa.

With a steadily increasing demand for its

Babies in the care of the Maternity Hospital

services, the hospital repeatedly moved to larger locations. In 1896, the hospital was moved for the fourth time, relocating to the corner of Glenwood and Penn Avenues.

Over the following two decades, three more buildings were added—a temporary home for infants, a cottage for nursing staff, and a bungalow for infants requiring special care.

In addition to her pioneering medical work, Ripley was a vocal social reformer. She served as President of the Minnesota State Suffrage Association and petitioned the state legislature

The Martha G. Ripley building is one of three still standing on the site

on the right to vote for women, as well as raising the age of consent from 10 to 16. Ripley also fought for the inclusion of matrons on the Minneapolis police force and women on the Board of Education.

But her primary focus remained the hospital. In 1911, at its 25th anniversary celebration, Ripley made a plea for $50,000 to erect a new hospital building, citing the hospital's longstanding mission to serving all in need and its essential role in the community.

The funding was raised, but Ripley would not live to

A Tudor house was added in 1910 to house nursing staff

see the new building completed. She died in 1912 of a respiratory infection. Her last words were, "Is everything alright at the hospital?"

The building was completed in 1915 and named the Martha G. Ripley Memorial Building in her honor. Ripley's ashes were laid in the cornerstone.

The Maternity Hospital closed in 1956 due to lack of funding and became the Queen Care Nursing Home. The nursing home closed in 2000.

Today, three of the original buildings remain on the site: Ripley Memorial Hospital, Emily Paddock

A bungalow was added in 1910 as an intensive care and isolation unit for sick infants

Cottage and the Babies' Bungalow.

Aeon's development of the site honors Ripley's lifelong commitment to social justice. Just as Ripley's vision addressed a pressing need of her time, Aeon's mission to provide high-quality housing for everyone addresses today's critical shortage of housing.

Completed in 2007, Ripley Gardens is an award-winning development that was a pioneer in combining historic preservation with sustainable building strategies.