The Waverly Hills Sanatorium was a tuberculosis sanatorium located at 4400 Paralee Dr, Louisville, KY 40272. The first sanatorium in the U.S. for the treatment of tuberculosis was built at Waverly Hills, which opened its doors on December 1, 1896. Inpatient care at Waverly Hills lasted from 1896 until it closed on February 25, 1968. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since March 29, 1980 as part of the Old Sites of America District. The sanatorium began as a private residence owned by Colonel William Preston Pearson and his wife Mary Addison Pearson, who were both president of the Louisville Board of Trade and avid philanthropists with an interest in healthcare reform and education. After Mr. Pearson’s death his wife continued to preside over the property until her own passing in 1899 at the age of 87 years old. A year later Mrs Pearson’s niece Olivia Dean Cunningham and her husband George Walter Cunningham moved into Waverly Hills where they would reside until their own deaths seventeen years later at the end of 1925. Discover More about Louisville KY
Waverly Hills Sanatorium from 1896-1968
Waverly Hills was the first tuberculosis sanatorium built in the United States. The sanatorium was designed to be a luxurious, state-of-the-art facility. The total cost of construction at Waverly Hills was $100,000, of which $75,000 was provided by Mrs Pearson. The sanatorium was constructed at a time when tuberculosis was considered a “curable” disease and treatment was intended to cure the patient’s symptoms and return them to the community as “cured” individuals. Though the initial concept of a sanatorium was to treat only tuberculosis patients and keep them isolated from the general public to keep them from spreading infectious diseases back into the community, Waverly Hills was the first medical facility to accept both infectious and non-infectious tuberculosis patients. In 1902 Waverly Hills was the first sanatorium in the U.S. to admit patients suffering from other non-tuberculosis related illnesses. During the early part of its history Waverly Hills also treated patients with other non-tuberculosis related illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and other “non-infectious” illnesses. The site of Waverly Hills was originally the property of Colonel Pearson who had purchased the property in 1889. After Pearson’s death in 1895 Mrs Pearson inherited the property and was able to use her wealth and connections to have the sanatorium built on the site of Pearson’s extensive gardens. Mrs Pearson’s motivation for building the sanatorium was her desire to provide a facility where people with tuberculosis could be treated as “cures” and return to society as “well” individuals. Waverly Hills opened on December 1, 1896 and its first patients were admitted on January 1, 1897.
The Adirondack Club and Waverly Hills Sanatorium
In March 1897, the first ten patients were admitted to Waverly Hills. One of the patients, Clara Davis, was the first person in the United States to be successfully treated for tuberculosis with the newly discovered antituberculosis drug streptomycin. Unfortunately, Mrs Davis contracted tuberculosis again while at the sanatorium and died at the sanatorium on October 1, 1897. Mrs Davis’ death shook up the sanatorium and sent it on a quest to find a cure for the disease. Mrs Davis’ death also sparked a movement among the sanatorium’s patients and supporters that strive to find a cure for tuberculosis. In 1898 the sanatorium’s patients and supporters formed the Adirondack Club to promote research and funding to find a cure for tuberculosis. The Adirondack Club was the first organization in the nation formed to seek a cure for tuberculosis. In 1904, the sanatorium donated a portion of its land to the city of Louisville for the construction of the Adirondack Springs Hotel. The sanatorium paid for five years of room rates for patients staying at the hotel, a gesture of goodwill that was greatly appreciated by the hotel’s guests. The hotel was built on the site of Colonel Pearson’s gardens and is considered one of the most beautiful hotels in the country. The Adirondack Springs Hotel still stands today and is currently known as the Acadia Hotel.
After Waverly Hills Sanatorium closed, the site was sold and redeveloped into Acadia Apartments.
After Waverly Hills Sanatorium closed, the site was sold and redeveloped into Acadia Apartments. The complex included the hotel, residential properties, a golf course, and a large amusement park. The sanatorium’s original building was converted into an apartment complex and the hotel was converted into apartments. The golf course and some of the residential properties were later sold off to developers and redeveloped into retail shops and attractive apartment buildings. The remaining residential properties and amusement park are still in use today.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Waverly Hills is an interesting example of an early-20th-century tuberculosis sanatorium that was pivotal in the era of tuberculosis treatment in the United States. The site of Waverly Hills was the first site in the U.S. to be used as a tuberculosis sanatorium. While the site of Waverly Hills was impressive, it was not without controversy as it was built on the grounds of a private estate. Waverly Hills was a luxurious facility that provided state-of-the-art treatment for tuberculosis patients, including patients with other non-infectious illnesses. However, Waverly Hills also received criticism from the press over the admission of patients with non-infectious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. After Waverly Hills closed, the site was sold and redeveloped into Acadia Apartments. Browse next article
