The historic Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam has an unnerving past dating back to when it was founded in 1913.
If you’re looking for a spooky story about a local building – this is it.
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Riverview Hospital
British Columbia’s very first treatment centre for those suffering from mental illness was opened in 1876, as part of Royal Hospital in Victoria. The hospital was later closed due to overcrowding and the 1,000-acre lot in Coquitlam was purchased to construct Riverview Hospital.
In 1913, the building commonly known as West Lawn began treating around 300 mentally-ill male patients. While the building was intended to house 480 patients, it ended up housing a whopping 919.
The hospital is adjacent to Colony Farm, where the patients would work to help grow the crops.
The acute psychopathic unit known as Centre Lawn opened in 1924, followed by the opening of East Lawn in 1930, which acted as a female chronic unit.
Then the Veteran’s unit opened up in 1934, with the second phase completed in 1949—making it the hospital’s most significant building. The final addition was the tuberculosis unit, known as the North Lawn opened in 1955. One of the buildings treated patients as recently as the Summer of 2010.
The hospital has had a number of ghost sightings by a former janitor and others who walked the mysterious halls over the years. It’s without a doubt a creepy place.
The West Lawn building has been abandoned since 1983 and it’s an especially chilling part of the hospital.
Riverview Hospital’s creepy appearance has been featured in many TV and film roles. They include: Smallville, The X-Files, The 4400, Stargate Atlantis, Halloween: Resurrection, Ghost Tour and more.
Looking for more spine-chilling places to visit? Take this road trip to BC’s most haunted and abandoned places.
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