History of Princeton Health

Princeton Health began more than 100 years ago, when the original Princeton Hospital was founded in a farmhouse on Witherspoon Street. Since then, we have worked tirelessly to help the residents of central New Jersey thrive.

1918 to 1940s: Early history of Princeton Health

In 1918, Moses Taylor Pyne donated five acres on Witherspoon Street to establish Princeton’s first hospital. The flu epidemic increased community awareness about the need for a hospital, and fundraising began.

• 1919: The converted farmhouse opens as Princeton’s first hospital.
• 1925: The hospital purchases its first X-ray machine.
• 1928: A new, expanded hospital opens, with 56 beds, an operating room, delivery room, and 12 newborn bassinets.
• 1933: Pediatrician Jeannette Munroe, MD, becomes the first female physician to join the staff.
• 1939: A group of Princeton Hospital volunteers is established.
• 1939: Local firefighters form a first aid unit (ambulance service).
• 1944: Princeton Hospital administers penicillin for the first time.

1950s to 1980s: Rapid growth and expansion

In 1953, Princeton Hospital completed construction of a new wing, more than doubling its capacity to a total of 138 beds.

• 1955: Albert Einstein dies at Princeton Hospital at age 76.
• 1957: Merwick Nursing Home opens.
• 1963: An intensive care unit is established.
• 1966: The Department of HomeCare is established.
• 1967: The Department of Emergency Services is established.
• 1968: The J Building opens, offering new radiology and laboratory services.
• 1971: Princeton House Behavioral Health is established.
• 1972: Princeton Hospital changes its name to The Medical Center at Princeton and becomes a teaching affiliate of Rutgers Medical School.
• 1978: The Medical Center at Princeton Foundation is formed.
• 1980: The supportive care and hospice program is founded.
• 1986: Princeton Surgical Center opens.

1990s to today: Continuing to grow into the future

In 1993, construction was completed on a new six-story building. This facility replaced the hospital that was built in 1926.

• 1996: Princeton Center for Eating Disorders is established.
• 1997: Cardiac catheterization lab opens.
• 1997: Princeton Caregivers is established.
• 1998: A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit is installed.
• 2000: The inpatient dialysis unit opens.
• 2003: Princeton Fitness and Wellness Center is established.
• 2003: Princeton Health becomes the first system in New Jersey with Laerdal SimMan Universal Patient Simulator Technology.
• 2003: Radiation oncology acquires the country’s most advanced linear accelerator.
• 2006: Design work begins for a new hospital and health campus, soliciting input from emergency experts on best practices for building a new hospital.
• 2007: David and Patricia Atkinson pledge $25 million to the Design for Healing campaign, the largest gift to a New Jersey hospital at the time.
• 2008: Ground is broken for the new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro.
• 2012: The new state-of-the-art 319-bed hospital and 171-acre health campus opens in May.
• 2013: Jim Craigie Center for Joint Replacement opens.
• 2018: Princeton HealthCare System becomes part of Penn Medicine.
• 2019: Princeton Health celebrates its 100th anniversary.