How future campus will capture Roper Hospital’s history, community and legacy of healing

Roper St. Francis Healthcare has partnered with Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), an internationally recognized firm known for designing meaningful, narrative-driven environments such as the International African American Museum in Charleston, to help bring the history of Roper Hospital to life on the future campus in North Charleston.

This effort is focused on preserving and elevating the stories that have shaped Roper Hospital and the surrounding community — from its founding history to its role today as a trusted center of care and healing.

With a bequest from the will of Colonel Thomas Roper, the Medical Society of South Carolina, a group of local physicians, opened Roper Hospital in 1856 "to treat all sick and injured people without regard to complexion, religion or nation.” An earthquake destroyed the original hospital in 1886, but Roper Hospital was rebuilt in 1906 on Barre and Calhoun streets in Charleston.

With the future Roper Hospital campus set to relocate the facility from downtown Charleston in 2029, the Ralph Appelbaum Associates historical project will thoughtfully integrate these stories into the experience, ensuring the campus reflects both innovation and legacy. Plans include indoor and outdoor spaces such as a history gallery, healing garden and greenway that invite patients, visitors and teammates to connect with Roper St. Francis Healthcare's mission and community.

"The most powerful stories are those that belong to a community," said Nafees Khan, PhD, RAA's lead content developer on the project. "Our role is to listen carefully, gather diverse perspectives and create experiences that reflect not only the history of Roper Hospital, but also the people, neighborhoods and shared experiences that have defined its impact across the Lowcountry."

The storytelling approach will span multiple perspectives, including:

• The history and community of Roper Hospital
• Key moments in South Carolina’s medical history, including the role of the Medical Society of South Carolina
• Community stories from diverse neighborhoods across the Lowcountry
• Individual stories of influential caregivers, leaders and patients

The work will highlight Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s longstanding role as a network of care and its deep ties to community growth, philanthropy and access to care across the region.

Future phases of the project will include gathering stories, perspectives and feedback from people in the community and those who know Roper St. Francis Healthcare best.

The goal is not just to look back, but to create a sense of continuity — ensuring the mission of healing all people with compassion, faith and excellence that defines Roper Hospital and Roper St. Francis Healthcare is carried forward into the next generation of care.

This initiative represents a unique opportunity to honor the people, moments and milestones that built Roper Hospital, while creating a welcoming, meaningful environment for future patients and teammates.