History of George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center

Utah’s First Veterans Hospital 

In 1925, the Veterans Bureau (VA’s predecessor) studied Utah’s need for a Veterans hospital. At the time, no hospital within the state was dedicated to the care and recovery of Veterans. The closest hospitals for Utah’s Veterans were hundreds of miles away, either in northern California or the Army hospital in Denver, Colorado. Recognizing the need after World War I (1914-1918), the Bureau wanted Veterans cared for as close to home as possible. Local politicians advocated using Fort Douglas, an Army fort with surplus land just east of Salt Lake City, but its use was denied for decades by the War Department (Department of Defense’s predecessor) as the U.S. Army was deciding how to properly use the land.

By 1928, still with no dedicated hospital to serve Utah Veterans, it was reported that about 25,000 Veterans lived in the state. Transporting Veterans to hospitals out of state cost roughly $16,000 in 1927 (the equivalent of approximately $290,000 in 2024), and thousands more were spent treating those who fought for our country in community hospitals. This was unacceptable for the Veterans Bureau and to the people of Utah. The Utah Chamber of Commerce asked for a facility, and the city of Ogden offered an unused arsenal building with a rail line as a possible site. U. S. Senator William H. King from Utah brought the proposed bill to the Senate for approval.

The following year, in 1929, the U.S. reported having 51 Veterans hospitals across the nation, but the number of World War I Veterans with disabilities was not projected to peak until 1941 and there was  no way of knowing another world war was in the very near future. In December 1929, President Herbert Hoover signed the bill for a Veterans hospital to be built in Utah with an estimated cost of $750,000. With no site selected, Ogden, Provo and Logan entered the bidding in hopes of hosting the hospital. 

Used by permission, Utah Historical Society

Selecting the ideal site for the Veterans hospital was important. The selected site’s local community would experience an economic boost with job creation and tourism, something much needed during the Great Depression (1929-1939). The ideal site needed to be close to a city with decent roads, sizeable acreage and access to utility lines. This cost-saving strategy would also create easier access for Veterans and visitors.

Salt Lake City won the bid for the new hospital and started in earnest to find an appropriate site. In 1930, Salt Lake City rezoned a portion of town northeast of the state capitol building around 12th Avenue, allowing for a hospital near B and F Streets. The city, owning most of the land, purchased additional acreage and gifted the site to the newly renamed Veterans Administration (VA) in 1931.

With a site secured, building plans began for a 103-bed modern hospital. Three million bricks, sixteen tree varieties and $800,000 later, Utah’s first Veterans hospital opened at 12th Avenue and E Street on July 5, 1932, with 20 patients arriving the first three days. The dedication, held on July 24, was attended by 1,000 people. By October, the hospital was at capacity. 

While having a Veterans hospital in Utah was essential, the Salt Lake City VA hospital quickly realized they needed more room and upgrades. Funds were sought to expand the hospital with more beds, administrative offices and recreational buildings. In April 1936, slightly over two additional acres were acquired. An annex building was completed in April 1940 to provide space for relocating Regional Office functions and patient recreational activities. The bed capacity of the hospital building was then increased to approximately 154 beds. But, it was not enough and with the start of World War II (1939-1945), VA knew the influx of Veterans across the U.S. would require care.

Home at Last: Salt Lake City VA Medical Center Moves to Fort Douglas

VA estimated that by 1965, an additional 300,000 hospital beds would be required to care for Veterans of both World Wars and earlier conflicts. In 1946, President Harry Truman approved the construction of a 500-bed neuropsychiatric hospital for Salt Lake City and transferred 250 acres of Fort Douglas to VA. The new campus plan included 17 structures surrounding a central 8-story building for an estimated $8.5 million.

Used by permission, Utah Historical Society

Designed by local architects Ashton, Evans, Brazier and McClenahan, hospital construction began in March 1950. Three months later, the Korean War (1950-1953) broke out, impacting VA’s staffing capacity. Many who worked at Veteran hospitals served in the armed forces, stressing an already short-staffed organization. Fortunately, staffing issues did not delay the opening of the Fort Douglas VA hospital, even though the shortage meant keeping 100 beds empty.

Opened in September 1952, the VA Hospital at Fort Douglas became the second VA hospital in Salt Lake City. The hospitalcomplex required 3.3 million bricks,1,300 tons of steel, and an acre’s worth of glass. The hospital dedication took placeon Sunday, September 14, 1952, and featured local dignitaries and politicians.

Used by permission, Utah Historical Society

The 12th Avenue and Fort Douglas VA hospitals operated independently for a few years until VA decided a merger was advantageous. With a new neuropsychiatric hospital at Fort Douglas, the 12th Avenue hospital could focus its care on general medical and surgical patients. Each hospital had its own director and budget, but by 1955, the 12th Avenue hospital was in need of major repairs. Instead of sinking funds into the old hospital, VA started merging the two facilities to save money not just on construction but also on staffing. 

By 1958, the consolidation effort was complete and a single director oversaw both facilities. Surgery was moved to Fort Douglas, and their telephone switchboards were consolidated. By 1961, VA combined all its services at a single facility, the Fort Douglas hospital, making the 12th Avenue hospital surplus. The following year, the patients from 12th Avenue were transferred to Fort Douglas. In 1964, the Zions Security Corporation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased the former 12th Avenue VA hospital for $25,000.

Research, Recreation and Renovations

Both VA hospitals in Salt Lake City have focused on research as part of their mission. Beginning in 1946, the affiliation with the University of Utah’s School of Medicine expanded VA’s research capabilities at both hospitals. This influx of services and research required campus expansion and renovations at the Fort Douglas hospital. 

The first round of renovations was completed by late 1965 at about $3.5 million. In 1971, a strengthened training program with the University of Utah to bring medical advancements to VA prompted the renovation of nurses' quarters into classrooms and administrative offices along with the development of a traveling training program for rural areas. 

Used by permission, Utah Historical Society

Also, in 1971, the Salt Lake City VA hospital was selected as one of 14 VA hospitals for a drug treatment center, initially held in existing facilities. A 92,000-square-foot, $22 million addition to the main hospital for labs and administrative offices was dedicated in 1982. About a decade later, another $27 million renovation plan was announced to bring the hospital into the modern era. Throughout the 21st century, more advancements, renovations and expansions have been implemented to improve the care and lives of Utah’s Veterans.

In the early years of the hospital, the benefits of recreational therapy in various forms were already being discussed by the Salt Lake City VA community. Programs such as occupational therapies, VA radio shows put on by Veterans, Hollywood theatrical release screenings, and arts and crafts   improved the lives of Veterans being cared for by VA. These successes prompted Salt Lake City VA to roll out a whole-health type model in 1970 for middle-aged and senior Veterans, the same year VA implemented a geriatric research initiative. These older Veterans were offered occupational, recreational and physical therapies and had access to a medical team of religious leaders, nurses, doctors, medical assistants and volunteers. Today, the Whole Health program includes diet, mental health and the importance of movement and relaxation. 

Like many VA hospitals of the era, tuberculosis and mental health conditions were widely studied at Salt Lake and, as Veteran needs changed, so did research. Over the decades, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System’s research and development  has grown to include academic affiliations with Brigham Young University and Westminster College and a robust residency program. Current research areas include prosthetics, suicide prevention, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), substance use disorders, diabetes, heart and kidney disease, Gulf War illness, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and Lou Gehrig’s disease. VA Salt Lake City Health Care System’s commitment to geriatric research continues today.

Hospital Renamed for Local Veteran

Federal buildings are often named to memorialize deceased individuals valued in the community for their exemplary civil service. The same is true for the VA medical center in Salt Lake City, except George Wahlen was still very much alive in 2004 when the facility was renamed. 

Wahlen was born in Ogden, Utah in 1924 and had an interest in aircraft mechanics. In 1943, only 19 and hoping to volunteer as a mechanic, he enlisted in the U. S. Naval Reserve. However, with World War II in full swing, aircraft mechanics were in low demand. Instead, there was a great need for hospital corpsmen, so a surprised Wahlen reported to San Diego for medical training.

Wahlen excelled in his studies and, by 1944, was a pharmacist’s mate second class. In February 1945, he deployed to the Battle of Iwo Jima as a corpsman, but being a reservist, he did not expect to see combat. The fighting was brutal, and casualties were high, though. It was there that he earned the Medal of Honor.

Though wounded twice by grenades, Wahlen continued to treat his injured comrades. At one point, an enemy soldier lobbing grenades from a foxhole prevented Wahlen and a Marine he was assisting from escaping their position. Wahlen maneuvered up a hill, dodging grenades, and neutralized the enemy. Wahlen was injured a third and final time when an artillery mortar hit his leg, mangling it. He bandaged his leg, gave himself morphine for the pain and then crawled 50 yards to help the next Marine.

Wahlen was one of four pharmacist’s mates awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroics during the 36-day battle at Iwo Jima. It took months to heal from his injuries and he was honorably discharged in December 1945. However, his service was far from over. Missing the military community, Wahlen joined the U.S. Army as a medical technician in 1948. 

In 1969, Major Wahlen retired, having served in Korea and Vietnam. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he earned a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. 

After the military, Wahlen served at VA until 1983, in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). He died in 2009 at age 84, and his legacy lives on throughout the Salt Lake City and Ogden communities. 

Today, the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center is a major part of VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System, which includes 10 community-based outreach clinics and serves 70,000 Veterans in Utah, Idaho and Nevada.

Learn more about the history of VA