SARASOTA, Fla. (May 22, 2025) – This Memorial Day, as Sarasota Memorial Hospital reflects on its past, it honors the Sarasota and U.S. military men and women whose service and sacrifice inspired its name.
The original 32-bed facility, first named Sarasota Hospital, opened its doors in 1925. It was the area’s first modern hospital, built with $40,000 in community donations, thanks to the strong convictions and sheer grit of Sarasota’s early leaders.
The name “Sarasota Memorial Hospital” first surfaced on June 8, 1945, when members of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and other community leaders gathered at the home of Lewis Van Wezel “to discuss a suitable living memorial to honor all veterans.”
Sarasota Service men and woman in Malta
From that discussion, the Sarasota County War Memorial Advisory Committee formed, according to historical accounts in Sarasota Memorial’s 100-year history book, A Century of Caring. U.S. Navy veteran Wilfred “Willie” Robards was chosen to lead the committee and a city-wide campaign to raise $200,000 for a new hospital. The committee erected a sign with a huge thermometer on the corner of the Palmer Bank at Five Points to color in and track the funds raised.
The War Memorial Advisory Committee “sought something with a large, permanent presence, a formidable tribute to what has become known as “The Greatest Generation,” Sarasota historian Jeff LaHurd noted in SMH’s history book.“As so many lives had been lost, nothing could better commemorate their sacrifice than an institution whose purpose was to save lives – Sarasota Memorial Hospital.”
Private Robert Rogers, a Sarasota resident who enlisted in WW2
By 1947, $196,000 had been pledged, but two years later, the money sat unspent in local banks, with the cost for a new hospital pegged between $900,000 and $1 million.
“As time moved quickly forward, it appeared the living memorial to our World War I and World War II veterans would never become a reality,” LaHurd noted. “Ironically, the major hold-up concerned the new war in Korea, which started suddenly in 1950, affecting the cost and availability of hospital building materials and other goods.”
In 1952, however, voters approved a bond issue of up to $750,000, by an overwhelming margin of 10 to 1. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Jan. 25, 1954, with Benton Powell, hospital board chair and president of the Palmer Bank at the time, sinking the ceremonial shovel into the dirt. On July 1, 1954, the city deeded the hospital to the county for $1 and Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s new name came into being.
Hospital leaders hosted a dedication ceremony and honored veterans of both world wars in 1955. With over a thousand onlookers, then U. S. Rep. James A. Haley (formerly a Florida legislator) lauded the community for its unwavering support, and called out Robarts and the American Legion Bay Post #30, which “spurred on the plans that have ultimately resulted in Sarasota having one of the outstanding hospitals in the nation for a city of its size.”
The year 1955 marked the dedication of the new "Memorial" hospital, giving the campus a "T" shape, with the new hospital entrance facing Arlington Street. Beds increased to 225, including 78 in the original 1925 building and 1920s-era additions. in 1958, the original hospital was moved across Hawthorne Street to make room for further expansion.
As Sarasota Memorial commemorates its centennial year in 2025, the community-owned health system is proud to spotlight the volunteerism, service and philanthropy that continue to inspire its public mission today. To learn more about SMH’s storied history and year-long centennial celebration, visit www.smh.com/100.
Please note: Service members pictured in the accompanying photos represent local veterans from Sarasota and the Suncoast whose service helped inspire Sarasota Memorial’s name. The photos do not infer they died in service.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and nearly 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County’s largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice, freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, a behavioral health hospital, a skilled nursing facility and a comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and physician practices. Founded in 1925, SMH is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2025 and encouraging community members to visit smh.com/100 throughout the year for centennial events and updates.