Lutheran’s legacy in the Wheat Ridge community

Lutheran Medical Center has served the Wheat Ridge and surrounding communities at its current location on West 38th Avenue for nearly 120 years. It has evolved from humble beginnings as a tuberculosis sanitarium into a thriving community hospital and Level II Trauma Center. It remains the only hospital in Jefferson County that delivers maternity and newborn care.

Lutheran was established to meet a community need caused by the TB bacterium. Colorado’s high, dry climate was beneficial for respiratory ailments, and by 1880, it was estimated that one-third of the state’s population was consumptive.

At the turn of the century, there were no sanitariums in Colorado. Members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Denver began planning a TB sanitarium for the region, leading to the founding of the Evangelical Lutheran Sanitarium. The Sanitarium opened as a tent colony in May,1905 on 20 acres of farmland and orchards. The purchase included the “Blue House” and a five-room cottage.

Each patient had a Tucker tent that allowed fresh air to continually pass through, as this was thought to be the best treatment.

By 1919, the Sanitarium was filled to capacity. The construction of a new four-story pavilion in 1921 effectively ended the years of the tent colony. The pavilion included a central administration building with two wings, an operating suite, an X-ray department, and a capacity of up to 150 patients. This was paid for by Lutheran churches across the country, the International Walther League, and various other contributors. 

In 1932, the Sanitarium added a women’s wing and the Chapel of the Good Samaritan. The Chapel featured stained glass rosette windows similar to those found in European cathedrals, a reproduction of a 16th century German crucifix, a 325-pipe organ and an antique Eastern European bell that was used at the dedication in 1933.  

Picture of chapel interior with people on beds

Until this time TB patients were treated with fresh air, nutritious food, rest, and in some cases surgery. In 1946 Streptomycin, the first antibiotic to fight TB, was introduced. When this and other medications were discovered, the treatment for tuberculosis changed, and the disease was under control by 1959.

In 1960, construction began on the new Lutheran Hospital and Medical Center, now independent of any church affiliation, opening a year later. The first patient was a 6-year-old needing a tonsillectomy.

Picture of patient in bed outside hospital tent

The hospital continued to expand to serve the community, adding an eight-story addition in 1973, as well as offices and medical buildings on a now 100-acre campus. In 1984, the Blue House was reopened as a tearoom and consignment shop.

Today, Lutheran Medical Center offers some of the most advanced treatment in the region and is regularly recognized for clinical excellence, patient safety and patient experience.

Lutheran’s founding predates the incorporation of the City of Wheat Ridge in 1969. For many years, Lutheran has been the largest employer and an economic driver in Wheat Ridge. Lutheran invests in the community through workforce, technology and infrastructure as well as prevention and wellness programs, charity care and more.

Now part of Intermountain Health, which operates multiple clinics and hospitals in Colorado and six other western states, Lutheran will remain a part of Wheat Ridge and Jefferson County following its move, meeting the community’s healthcare needs for decades to come.

Lutheran Medical Center History

1905 – The Evangelical Lutheran Sanitarium is established to treat tuberculosis patients – 15 Tucker Tents were built on 20 acres. Monthly fees for early patients were: $35 if they were able to care for their own tent, $40 if staff maintained the tent and $50 for those that occupied beds in the Blue House.
1920 – Patient Pavilion was built – four stories high with a flat roof for “sun care,” as well as an operating suite, and X-ray department. The sanitarium could now accommodate 150 patients.
1920s – The Blue House no longer houses patients, becoming office and lab space, and soon a residence for nurses.
1932 – A women’s wing, chapel and superintendent’s residence was added.
1959 – The City of Wheat Ridge is incorporated. By this time, with the advent in the 1940s of “miracle drugs,” such as streptomycin, TB was largely under control. As the number of these patients declined over the years, the Board of Directors decided to create a general hospital to meet the changing needs. 
1933 – The Chapel of the Good Samaritan is dedicated.
1961 – First Lutheran Hospital opened and continued to expand to serve the community with modern equipment, offices, and medical buildings on a now 100-acre campus.
1973 – Eight-story addition was dedicated, with a lobby, cafeteria, and retail shops, bringing the total number of beds to 400, and in 1974, it became Lutheran Medical Center.
1978 – the Blue House is closed as a nurses’ dormitory and turned over to the Volunteer Services Department. After renovation and redecorating, it opened as the Thrift Shop, and in 1984 opened as the Blue House Tearoom and Consignment Shop. 
1987 – Colorado Lutheran Home became part of the Medical Center. In 2017, it was divested to Vivage Senior Living.
1988 – West Pines, a behavioral health facility, opens.
1993 – A new Emergency Department opens.
1996 – Women’s Center opens. 
1998 – Lutheran Medical Center, Saint Joseph Hospital and Exempla Medical Group formed Exempla Health Care System. 
2001 – Lutheran Breast Care Center opens.
2003 – Heart Center, Intensive Care Unit open; Radiation and Oncology Center expand and the ED, now a Level III Trauma Center, becomes one of the busiest EDs in the state.
2006 – Lutheran Hospice at Collier Hospice Center opens.
2010 – Joins with the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. That same year, the North Pavilion and Women and Family Center opened.
2014 – Branded as SCL Health
2018 – Lutheran and SCL Health agree to purchase land at Clear Creek Crossing to build a replacement hospital.
2021 – Lutheran becomes a Level II Trauma Center, and merges with Intermountain Health
2024 – Lutheran Medical Center moves to Clear Creek Crossing and is renamed Lutheran Hospital.