Sacred Places
Providence Hospital
Stone walls hide the fountain until you reach it.
WHERE
Washington, DC
SETTING
Healthcare
PARTNER INSTITUTION
Providence Hospital
Visit
Where it is
1150 Varnum Street NE, Washington, DC 20017
What happens here
The garden is fully accessible and open to the public, and all are welcome to rest, meditate, or simply enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. The lawn hosts planned activities including lunchtime classes, concerts, and Tai Chi demonstrations. Though the garden is highly public, the various garden areas and sensitively arranged seating give people abundant ways to use it privately.
HOW IT CAME TO BE
You are meant to be lost before you are found.
01
The Need
Providence Hospital, a Catholic hospital in Northeast Washington founded in 1861 by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, kept its focus on its mission as it grew, but the stresses of the modern healthcare environment became increasingly evident — staff retention, sicker patients, insurance limitations, and other challenges growing more prevalent.
02
The Vision
In 2000 the administration felt the importance of developing a spiritual refuge: a place to find comfort, pray, and begin healing. The Hospital Morale Initiative took up the idea of a healing garden as a retreat from the relentless rigors and stresses of medicine for all members of the hospital family. Nature Sacred, the Prince Charitable Trusts, and the Hospital Women's Board provided money and other support to make it real.
03
The Transformation
The design created a series of separate restorative spaces, spiritually if not physically away from the stressful hospital environment, connected instead to growing plants, moving water, and the changing seasons. Multiple pathways let visitors walk directly through, or choose narrow stepping stone paths that bypass the main walks. Both entrances lead to the central fountain area, which stone walls shield from immediate view — the idea being that every visitor should encounter an unknown first and then discover a refuge. A lawn area gives room for planned activities.
WHO TENDS IT
HEAR FROM THE VISITORS
From the Little Yellow Journal
Dear God,
Please watch over my patients.
– MD
