Tripler Medical Center

Tripler Medical Center is located in Hawaii and is the widest and most important hospital operated in the Pacific Rim. It can be seen from any place of Honolulu due to its impressive pink coral appearance. At the same time, it has the capability to support more than half of the world’s surface.

History

The history of this site dates to the beginning of the 20-th century. The place used to be known as Fort Shafter and it hosted a small and insignificant hospital built in 1907. It was far from the structure today. Instead, the hospital consisted of a few wooden buildings only. In 1920, the hospital was renamed to what it is today. It was named in the memory of Charles Stuart Tripler, a professional and expert doctor that served during World War I. He was also one of the medicine pioneers in the United States of America.

During World War II, the small hospital was run by Robert C. Richardson Jr., a local governor. He decided to hire an architectural company from New York – York & Sawyer – to work on a new complex. Richardson Jr. hoped for a more impressive building able to support most of the injured troops returning from the war theaters. The architect who came up with the design was Robert O. Thompson. His work was not just a hospital for physical recovering activities. Instead, he also created a service for those who came back mentally disturbed due to the atrocious actions during the war. By the time the United States of America decided to join World War II, Tripler Medical Center had 450 beds. The construction was still ongoing and after a few more barracks-like facilities were built, the bed capacity was raised to 1000. The authorities didn’t stop here. In 1942, a new plan was set up for the expansion of the medical center. It was so complex that it took the authorities 6 years to complete. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on September, 10-th, 1948.

Coral pink

The coral pink color of Tripler Medical Center is probably the most important and notable characteristic of this hospital. It seems the color was the personal preference of Richardson Jr., who was inspired by the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in a nearby community. Aside from the color, the general also chose to borrow some architectural elements. The hotel was one of the first and most important recreational areas for the US troops returning from war. It was also designed by Robert O. Thompson.

United Nations

Tripler Medical Center has more uses. However, it is mostly designed for humanitarian acts in disastrous situations. It works in a tight collaboration with more commands, universities and other medical centers. It was chosen by the UN (United Nations) as a Peace Operations Institute. It is the only such institute located in the United States of America. This means it supports training sessions to maintain the peace in various parts of the world not just to American troops only, but to soldiers coming from all the UN countries.