Abandoned Asylums in New England
Seaside Sanatorium
Waterford, CT
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History
Originally built to treat kids with tuberculosis but used as an elderly home, medical hospital, and a facility to treat the mentally disabled. In the 1930s it opened for children with tuberculosis. Then in 1958 it was used as an elderly home for 3 years, it was then used to treat the mentally challenged until 1996. During the period in which they treated tuberculosis it was called Seaside Sanatorium. When it housed the elderly it was called Seaside Geriatric Hospital. Then when reopened again it was called Seaside Regional Center for the Mentally Retarded. The Waterford property where the Seaside Sanatorium would stand was commissioned in 1930 by The State Tuberculosis Commission. The 28 acre property was purchased from the heirs of the Smith-Grimes estate. More land was purchased in 1936, where its boundaries currently stand, totaling 36 acres. The cost was $125,000. The Seaside is actually the second “The Seaside” to stand for the heliotropic treatment of tuberculosis in children. The first site was at the White Beach Hotel at Crescent Beach in neighboring Niantic, Ct. The original sanatorium was up and running and receiving its first patients by January, 1920. Being the first and only treatment center for tuberculosis in the country, the 45 beds quickly filled and the waiting list began to grow. The State Tuberculosis Commission knew they had to expand, but were unable to do so because the McCook family, who owned the neighboring property, refused to sell. The state went as far as the Supreme Court to try to seize the land through eminent domain. The McCook’s won the lawsuit, however and the state sought land elsewhere. Its current property became available and the state purchased it. Famed architect Cass Gilbert was commissioned to design the buildings. The Waterford facility was ready and the Niantic patients transferred in 1934. The location of center, the first of its kind in the nation, was chosen because of the fresh sea air and ample sunlight. At the time it was thought that fresh air and lots of sunshine could help cure tuberculosis. The children, all 14 and under would spend their days outside sunning as part of their heliotropic treatment. By the end of the 1940s, advancements in drug therapies were being made and the usefulness of sanatoriums declined. (from Wikipedia)
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Seaside Sanatorium page created: June 2017
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