The hospital was opened in March, 1928 and was called the Doctor Thomas G. Huizenga Memorial Hospital with ten beds. On 12 May 1927, Mr. and Mrs. George F. Huizenga, who owned the VanSytzama estate, notified the Exchange Club that they would like to donate the Von Sytzama house as a hospital. The home remained a hospital until 1956 and was named for Mr. Huizenga’s father who was a pioneer and physician and surgeon in the Zeeland area. The need for a larger facility necessitated building a new hospital rather than spending the funds on the old building. On 14 June 1954 the committee recommended that the Westenbroek and VerPlank properties on the east side of Taft Street be purchased. Ground breaking took place on 2 December 1954 and was dedicated on 22 May 1956. On that day 16 patients were transferred to the new Zeeland Community Hospital. NOTE: A new facility was recently constructed west of the corner of Chicago Drive and Washington Street. This facility will hold open house on April 22nd and be a working hospital on 26 April 2006.

Transcriber: Evelyn Sawyer
Created: 6 April 2006