Centinela Valley Community Hospital was established in 1924 as the Centinela Valley Medical Center. The earlier name still is prominent on the cornice.

In 1960 the hospital commissioned Welton Becket and Associates to create a 60-bed addition. The firm was known for innovative design. A medical and design discussion centered on whether patient privacy could promote faster recovery and diminish hospital-acquired infections. At the time hospitals typically had shared rooms. State health codes were written to reflect this standard. Part of the discussion was that single-patient rooms increased hospital and patient costs.

The hospital administrators and architects decided to explore creating a hospital with only single rooms, so state regulations had to be appealed and revised. Centinela Valley Medical Center became the first hospital to use only private rooms, a cutting edge model only now becoming the accepted practice.

Other signature Welton Becket features incorporated into the building are the vertical elements acting as both sunscreens and bay windows wrapping the facade, a variation on the horizontal ones circling Welton Becket's Capitol Records Building.