Our History

Adventist Health Glendale (AHGL) has provided 115 years of healing to Glendale and its surrounding communities. As one of the oldest businesses in Glendale, AHGL has a proud history of paving the way for health care services. We welcome you to visit our historical exhibit in the hospital's East Tower lobby or read below to learn more.

Pioneering Wellness

Glendale Sanitarium, 1905

The Glendale Sanitarium opened in 1905, a year before Glendale was founded as a city, and was built on the vision of James and Ellen White, early pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, who founded many sanitariums in the United States and throughout the world.

The hospital opened in a 75-room, Victorian-style hotel constructed in the late 1880s. The property was purchased from Glendale land developer Leslie Brand for $12,500—well below his asking price—and the deal was sealed with a $20 bill.

Growth and Change

By the 1920s, the Glendale Sanitarium had expanded its medical, surgical and maternity services, had the most advanced medical equipment of the day, employed nine doctors and nearly 100 nurses, and was rapidly running out of space. As a result, a 30-acre hillside was selected for a new hospital location. Overlooking Wilson Avenue, the new facility opened in the mid-1920s with accommodations for 225 beds, a solarium and rooftop deck, a golf green and spacious parlor for 150 patients and guests. The current hospital remains on this location today.

Advances in Patient Care

Following the move to the present-day location, Glendale Sanitarium and Hospital, as it was now called, grew rapidly in size. The hospital's first medical internship program was followed by residencies in pathology, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and internal medicine.

During the 1960s, AHGL became the first private hospital in Los Angeles to install the latest IBM computer system and opened the area's first behavioral medicine unit. In the 1970s, the hospital's name changed to Glendale Adventist Medical Center, and the hospital's first open heart surgery was performed.

World-Class Care and the Future

Adventist Health Glendale, 2015

In the early 2000s, AHGL began a $220-million renovation and building project, which included the West Tower, the Emergency Department and the Lee Hughes Medical Building. Additional services have been added, resulting in numerous accreditations, awards and many other honors from nationally-recognized organizations.

While the health care environment continues to change rapidly, AHGL's commitment to you and our community's health hasn't changed in more than a century. It's that commitment that has allowed us to grow from a 75-bed sanitarium to the 515-bed full-service facility we are today. And it's that commitment that has allowed us to offer Glendale the latest treatment and wellness options for the last 115 years.