The second-floor inpatient facility is part of a $10million development that has included reroofing, renewing mechanical and infrastructure services, and addressing seismic strength issues, Mercy CEO Richard Whitney said.
‘‘It’s been about the whole fabric of the building, including the ward,’’ Mr Whitney said.
Callaghan Ward is named after William and Catherine Callaghan, who in 1803 in Ireland took in the young Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy. In 1822, Catherine McAuley inherited the Callaghan estate, which enabled her to open a house in Dublin, Ireland, to help poor women and children. In 1831 Sister Catherine founded the order and in 1936 the New Zealand Sisters of Mercy opened Mercy Hospital, initially in Royal Tce and from 1969 in Newington Ave.
The hospital is set in extensive grounds and it was important to preserve them by not increasing the area taken up by buildings, Mr Whitney said.
