For the better part of the first decade of the 1900s, there were many discussions held concerning the construction of a tuberculosis hospital. The need to care for and isolate those infected from the general population was a precaution to prevent the widespread circulation of this virulent illness.
The Hillside Hospital on Jarvis Ave., which cared for smallpox patients, was inadequate to care for the numbers afflicted with tuberculosis.
The site selected for the new tuberculosis hospital was near the present-day Massachusetts Veterans’ Home in Holyoke, formerly known as the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.
V. V. Goddard was the general contractor for the 1911 building project on Cherry Street. D. J. Bowler installed the plumbing, and P. J. Moriarty installed the heating system.
Due to the hospital’s location at the crest of a hill, sewer and water line connections were costly. A pumping station was needed, equipped with electric motors, compressors, pumps, storage tanks, and automatic devices to maintain sufficient water pressure to move water through a 4-inch water pipe from the base of the steep hill on Cherry Street.
Including excavation and foundation work, as well as furnishing and lighting the hospital, the city expended about $20,000 on the project.
Initially, the facility was called the Tuberculosis Hospital. Before accepting its first patient, it was renamed the Holyoke Sanatorium in January 1912, a name it carried throughout its existence.
The Holyoke sanatorium was opened to the public for inspection on February 16 and 17th, 1918. It was anticipated that it would begin accepting patients the following week. The first patient was received on February 26, 1912.
In late March 1912, T. J. MacCarthy, the City Engineer, was forming plans for a new driveway to access the Holyoke Sanatorium from Homestead Ave. Shrubbery and other plantings would grace the approach to the hospital.
In its first nine months, 47 different patients were seen, with an average of 17 remaining at any given time. The cost per patient was expected to decrease in the future due to state reimbursements and increased patient volume.
In May 1913, the Board of Public Works completed the planting of 500 Southern Pine and 100 poplar trees on the hospital grounds.
While reading through the many news articles about this tuberculosis care center, it was evident that patients’ emotional and mental well-being was also important. Patients were treated to rides out in country settings, entertainment performances, holiday parties, and minstrel shows. City residents donated a Victrola record player and numerous recordings for the patients’ enjoyment. Nurses, staff, and patients joined in the festivities.
In 1924, the Health Board, Mayor, City Engineer, and Board of Public Works officials performed an assessment of the 12-year-old facility. One of the recommendations was to add 4 additional private rooms for patients. The officials toured the adjoining small parcel of land owned by Judge Robert Allyn with the hopes of purchasing the property. It is unknown whether this occurred, as there was a disagreement between the city and the owner over its value.
In 1926, a dedication ceremony was held when the Gibbs Piano Company provided a piano for the hospital.
Later in 1926, M.I.T. professor Dr. Horwood wrote a scathing analysis of the facility, calling it a “good hotel” fraught with politics and unnecessary entertainment. Ernest A. Mandeville, M.D., physician in charge of the sanatorium, wrote a strong rebuttal to the professor’s comments, supporting the mission, patient care, and success of the Holyoke Sanatorium.
The approaching 1930s would see major changes that would impact the hospital’s existence. This will be covered in Part 2 to follow.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
Richards Atlas of Holyoke, Massachusetts (1911)
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