Coleman Union Hall / Hospital

The heritage value of the Coleman Union Hall/Hospital resides in its historic role as a community institution serving the medical and social needs of the area's citizens.

The Coleman Union Hall/Hospital was financed and built between 1905 and 1906 by the local miner's union. Designed for use as a hospital by a civil engineer employed by the International Coal and Coke Company, the architecture of the Coleman Union Hall/Hospital was far simpler and more utilitarian than other medical institutions of the day. When the hospital opened, it admitted only union members and their families, but later opened its doors to the public. By 1922 the coal companies deducted hospital fees from all employees. Elsewhere in Alberta hospitals were the nearly exclusive domain of the Catholic Church or municipal governments. The case of a union providing medical services to its members and a community is unique and an important demonstration of local initiative in providing social services in an industrial company town. The hospital remained in union control, serving the entire Crowsnest Pass, until 1949, when a new municipal hospital was built and the old hospital was renovated for use as a union hall and meeting place for retired miners.