When Michael Winter moved his wife and family of 8 children to Orange, New Jersey from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1901, he purchased an extensive home there located on South Center Street, almost in the heart of the city.
------Michael Winter's Home, c. 1903------
In 1904, five Nuns from The Order of the Sisters of St. Francis came to Orange at the invitation of Father Victor Romanelli (at that time pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church) to start a private hospital for use by his parishoners. In 1906 an agreement was struck in which Michael Winter agreed to sell his home to them for this purpose. And so, the home was converted to a hospital, and it opened for general use with an initial capacity of 30 beds. Michael Winter, in turn, purchased another home further down the road at 521 Center Street.
------c. 1910------
In 1912, two wings were added to the hospital on either side along the back of the original building, leaving the exterior of the former Winter residence intact, which for many years was still easily recognizable to locals and passersby as having once been a house of unusual dimensions. This expansion increased the capacity of the hospital to 125 beds:
------c. 1913------
Though the hospital still stands on the same site today, it now looks far different,
with the original structures having been torn down and replaced by a more modern facility.
Have you any old photos of Michael Winter's original residence?
