In 1910, a group of Northfield physicians formed the Northfield Hospital Association and with community support purchased a three-story house on the corner of Eighth and Water streets for Northfield’s first community hospital. The 12-bed facility at Eighth and Water served the community well for many years, but during the Great Depression it struggled financially. In 1934, the city assumed responsibility for the hospital. In 1938, the community received a Works Progress Administration (WPA) grant and built a new 31-bed hospital on West Second Street.