The complex began as one of the first two municipal institutions established when the people of Highland Park voted to become a city in December of 1916. The old Highland Park General Hospital Complex is an important landmark in Highland Park history. Four structures, the main hospital building, the nurses' residence, the power plant/laundry, and the contagious/psychopathic units, are considered contributing while one- and two-story additions to the main hospital building and nurses' residence are considered noncontributing.

Lodge Expressway borders the property on the west. A parking lot is located across the street to the northwest and there has been some clearance of lots in the vicinity.

The complex is located in a residential district which is comprised of both apartment structures and single-family dwellings. The building elements erected during the 1920s to the 1940s are detailed in a neo-Georgian manner characteristic of 'period' design of this period, while the elements erected during the post-World War II years have no historical or ornamental detailing. The complex was developed to be a coherent, monumental assemblage of buildings and wings, being united by a clear sense of hierarchical relationships, common materials and a fundamentally simple and utilitarian approach to design, regardless of period of construction.

Two smaller building units are located to the rear of the complex site, consisting of the power plant and laundry buildings (19) and the Contagious and Psychopathic Units (1926). The primary building unit of the complex faces northwest on Glendale Avenue, and consists of the original hospital building (1918) and the nurses' residence (1925). 'The Highland Park General Hospital Complex consists of three separate building units situated on a six-acre site at the western edge of Highland Park, Michigan. The Michigan State Historic Preservation website at ( visit link) tells us:

Highland general hospital