Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital

Hospital History

Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital is a 265 bed hospital located in Amherst, one of Western New York’s fastest growing areas. Built in 1974, this facility provides non-tertiary hospital services including gynecology/obstetrics; dialysis; orthopedic surgery; ambulatory surgery; and diagnostic nuclear medicine.

Historical Perspective

August 12th, 1974 was opening day for the new 150 bed Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. It was a full-service community hospital that had taken the people of Amherst and Clarence over 30 years to realize. It was the result of the work of so many people from many organizations giving a great deal of time and energy.

Mr. Charles K. Bassett donated approximately 31.5 acres of land to Millard Fillmore for this hospital and an additional 35 acres to Amherst, for the park adjacent to this site, "Bassett Park." Mr. Bassett bought the beautiful, rolling land because it was ideal for horseback riding. He decided to donate it because of the ever-growing need for a hospital in the area, according to an Amherst Bee, July 31, 1974, article.

The Women's Auxiliary also played a special part in the hospital's development. In 1969 they pledged $100,000 to the Millard Fillmore Building fund drive. The Women's Board of the Millard Suburban Hospital continues to play an important role in this hospital.

Groundbreaking was on February 19, 1972. In an Amherst Bee article, August 1, 1984, Marguerite Lapp, the first president of the Suburban Liaison Board, recalls that it was a bitter cold and snowy day. Congressman Jack Kemp was asked to bring a flag from the White House and to come by helicopter. "There we were, a group of people standing in the middle of a field, freezing, waiting for this flag to come out of the sky. It's funny, we were all looking up at the sky after all those years of looking down at our pocketbooks," Mrs. Lapp said.

The corner stone was laid on October 13, 1973. The architects were Kideney, Smith, Fitzgerald and Partners of Buffalo. In 1974 there were many special features of this new facility:

It was administratively linked to Gates Circle and shared medical staffs.

• The emergency department was larger than usual for this size hospital as it was designed to meet the needs of Clarence and Amherst.
• Suburban was the area's first all-electric hospital.
• It was the first satellite facility to an existing hospital in WNY and the only one in NYS.
• There were 34 obstetric beds, 6 of which were designated for rooming in.
• The cost to build this facility was approximately $1 million under the projected cost of $17.3.

At each ten-year anniversary, there has been an appreciative remembrance of the commitment and work of the people of Amherst and Clarence and a renewed commitment to continue to serve the community well.