1977 - Massive Expansion in Building 2

In 1977-1978, after five years of construction, a new, Brutalist-style structure known as Building 2 opened to take the place of the historic hospital, Building 1. Maj. Walter Reed’s granddaughter, Daisy Reed Royce, joined other dignitaries at its dedication on September 26, 1977.

With 1,200 beds, the huge, new facility gathered patients formerly housed in ten different buildings, some at Forest Glen. It became the largest hospital in the D.C. area and among the largest military hospitals in the country.

Building 2 was renamed the Heaton Pavilion in 1994. Lt. General Leonard D. Heaton served as commander at WRAMC from 1953 to 1959, and as Army Surgeon General from 1959 to 1969. Building 2 was one of the few buildings on campus demolished to make way for residential, retail, and a new plaza fronting Georgia Avenue; it took nearly two years to demolish the massive structure.