In the first half of the century, overcrowding in Essondale buildings caused tuberculosis to spread quickly throughout the population living there. In response, North Lawn was opened in 1955 to serve Essondale patients living with TB. The building opened with a bed capacity of 230 patients. Over the next decade, the staff had success with treatment and prevention; the ward was operating as a 26-bed unit by 1964. It is a reinforced concrete building with three floors.