Founded in 1889 as the Municipal syphilis hospital, it served what at the time was one of the city's seedier neighborhoods, and was originally housed in a drab, one-story building removed from view. Operating during a socio-economic boom in Argentina, the facility was reestablished as the Hospital of the North in 1893, and began serving the general public; in 1904, it was renamed in honor of Dr. Juan Antonio Fernández (1786 – 1855), the first Dean of the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine, as well as founder of the National Academy of Medicine.[1]
The increasing demand for the facility, which prompted numerous changes and additions to the building, prompted the demolition of the older structures in favor of an 11-story, Rationalist building. Inaugurated in 1943, the new building houses a staff of 1,600 doctors and nurses, and is operated by the Municipal Government of Buenos Aires.[2]
