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Seven three-dimensional niches with displays featuring deep carved and flat etched crystal panels tell the story of St. Joseph Medical Center. From its founding in the 1860s to its vibrant present with an eye to the future, the story unfolds through archival materials, historical and contemporary images, and selective text. Phrases from the beloved Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi stretch from panel to panel, along with portions of the hospital's mission statement, linking the chronological displays.

The Heritage Wall graces the airy, curving corridor from the main entrance to the rotunda and Heart Institute, welcoming visitors and leading them to the heart and spirit of the Medical Center. With touching detail and reverence, this public artwork honors the legacy of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. It serves as a permanent monument to the enduring commitment to loving service and compassionate care at the hospital.

A Tradition of Health Care Excellence

  • 1864 — Mrs. Catherine Eberhard donates three row houses on North Caroline Street to the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia to be used for the sick and infirm
  • 1870 — Act of Incorporation for Saint Joseph German Hospital is approved by the State of Maryland
  • 1872 — Hospital opens new facility at Caroline and Oliver Streets in Baltimore City
  • 1873 — St. Joseph Board of Trustees founded by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
  • 1900 — Ladies' Auxiliary Board founded
  • 1901 — School of Nursing is established to meet nursing shortages
  • 1941 — St. Joseph is one of the only hospitals in Baltimore to have an iron lung, the life-saving treatment for respiratory polio
  • 1956 — First lay advisory board appointed Medical staff members join community leaders to preserve hospital operations until a new facility can be built
  • 1957 — St. Joseph is the first hospital in Maryland to have a structured cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) team
  • 1965 — St. Joseph Hospital moves to Towson
  • 1968 — Osler Drive Emergency Physician Associates (ODEPA) establishes the first 24/7 emergency physicians group in Maryland St. Joseph opens the first short-term inpatient psychiatric unit in Maryland
  • 1972 — Critical Care Units established Coronary Care Unit opens
  • 1980 — St. Joseph wins regulatory approval for a CAT scan
  • 1981 — St. Joseph Hospital, under the leadership of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, becomes part of Franciscan Health System
  • 1982 — St. Joseph is the only community-based hospital in Maryland licensed to perform open-heart surgery
  • 1985 — St. Joseph Hospital is one of the first hospitals on the East Coast to offer mothers the opportunity to labor, deliver and recover in a single, specially designed suite
  • 1986 — International Center for Skeletal Dysplasia opens
  • 1994 — St. Joseph is the first hospital in Maryland to develop a training program in minimally invasive (laparoscopic) surgical techniques for practicing physicians
  • 1995 — The Heart Institute is established
  • 1996 — Reflecting an increase in comprehensive clinical services, St. Joseph Hospital becomes St. Joseph Medical Center St. Joseph becomes a part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a consortium of three Catholic health care systems and 10 congregations
  • 2000 — The Heart Institute performs the largest volume of heart procedures in Maryland, treating one in four open-heart surgery patients in the state
  • 2001 — Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) receives Level III+ designation, able to care for babies of any gestational age
  • 2002 — St. Joseph establishes the Village Wellness Project in Tanzania
  • 2003 — The Orthopaedic Institute dedicated
  • 2004 — The new Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Emergency Department opens
  • 2006 — The Breast Health Center opens
  • 2007 — The Cancer Institute opens
  • 2010 — St. Joseph Medical Center is a designated Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery and Knee and Hip Replacement by CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield; St. Joseph's Breast Health Center Accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers
  • 2011 — St. Joseph Medical Center was awarded a designation of Cardiac Interventional Center by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS).
  • 2012 — Joined the University of Maryland Medical System and became University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center.
  • 2013 — The inaugural classes of the hospital’s Healing Hands Guild and Profiles of Compassion Society are inducted.
  • 2019 — The Barbara L. Posner Wellness & Support Center opens.
  • 2019 — UM St. Joseph was ranked the #1 community hospital in Maryland by U.S. News & World Report – for the first of several consecutive years
  • 2020 — The Jack and Elizabeth Dunn Family Orthopaedic Institute is dedicated.
  • January 2021 — The Philip A. Zaffere Emergency Care Flex Area, including the Idalee Friedman Day Room, is dedicated.
  • March 2021 — The James P. O’Conor Family Hospitality Center opens, featuring a business center powered by Rosedale Federal Savings & Loan Association.
  • May 2021 — Noted Baltimore philanthropists Malcolm and Sandra Berman make the second largest gift in UM St. Joseph Medical Center’s history to the medical center in support of our renowned cardiac program. Our Heart Institute is renamed “The Sandra R. Berman Heart Institute” in their honor.
  • June 2021 — The Spine Institute opens
  • October 2021 — Archbishop William Lori visits UM St. Joseph Medical Center to bless the newly renovated St. Francis of Assisi Chapel, dedicated in memory of Carmen J. and Theresa R. Deyesu.
  • December 2021 — The hospital’s Foundation Board establishes the Employee Resilience Fund, to provide supplemental support to staff coping with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

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