75 Years Young

Since its founding in 1950 as Variety Children’s Hospital, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital has grown from its community hospital roots to become a nationally recognized pediatric care leader, and South Florida’s only healthcare system where your child matters most™.

Journey back in time and enjoy images and artifacts from the hospital’s many decades of service to South Florida and beyond. In addition, the exhibit tells the story of the nearly 20-year community effort to establish a children’s hospital in South Florida and to advance pediatric care for generations to come, beginning with a push in the 1930s to acquire land on which to build, led by area orthopedic surgeon Dr. Arthur Weiland and others who supported the vision of a children’s hospital.

Did you know? Soon after its opening on March 20^th, 1950, Variety Children’s became the southernmost center for the care of children with polio, as the pandemic surged. You’ll even hear from some of the people who were treated for polio during this era.

Journey on through the hospital expansions of the 1960s and 1980s and the renaming of the hospital as Miami Children’s Hospital in 1983 as its services and reputation grew. With each step, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital has remained focused on providing the best pediatric care forward for generations to come.

Today the hospital flourishes as Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, following a generous 2015 gift from golf icon Jack Nicklaus, his wife Barbara and their Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. We are proud to be South Florida’s only freestanding pediatric hospital with specialty programs that are routinely ranked among the nation’s best. What’s more, our network of outpatient facilities extends from southern Miami-Dade to Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties, bringing our world-class services to families throughout the region.

Come see and experience our story. It’s peopled with heroes, including brave children and their families, dedicated doctors and caregivers, volunteers and philanthropists devoted to funding the future of children’s healthcare. As we celebrate our 75 years of service to the region, we also look to the future, moving forward for generations to ensure that we meet the needs of families today and for generations to come.

At 75 years young, we’re proud to be the hospital where children matter most™!