On Sunday April 26, 1915, exactly one hundred years ago, John Glessner
made the following notation in his wife’s journal:
“Frances & I
drove out to see the new tuberculosis institute belonging to Cook Co. – a large
fine institution.”
The Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium opened on February 16, 1915 and
was owned and managed by the City of Chicago (not Cook County). At a time when tuberculosis was a very
serious health threat and there were numerous sanitariums across the country,
the Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium had the distinction of being the largest
in the country with a capacity of 950 beds.
In 1911, the city bought 158 acres of land from Pehr Peterson, who
operated a huge tree nursery on the property.
Peterson established the nursery in the late 1800s, providing trees and
shrubs to the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, as well as most of the
trees in Lincoln Park, and the majority of trees planted on Chicago’s parkways
and boulevards.
The tract of land was located in the extreme northwest section of the
city, running east from Crawford Avenue (now Pulaski Road) and south of
Peterson Avenue. The beautiful natural
setting was considered ideal for the treatment of the disease, and well-known
landscape architect O. C. Simonds was responsible for the landscape
design. A large section of the land was
reserved for farming and gardening. Architects
Otis & Clark designed the buildings, many with a strong Prairie School or
Craftsman feel to them. Jarvis Hunt
later designed the auditorium.
The grounds were divided into two main sections - the south section
containing cottages for women, the north section for men. There were originally 28 cottages of which 20
were used for adults and eight for children, with a total capacity of about 380
beds. Twelve additional cottages were
built later.
To the east of the main administration
building were two dining halls, one each for men and women. For those patients requiring more extensive
care, a group of infirmary buildings had a capacity of about 300 beds. At the far east end of the property were the
service buildings including the power house and a laundry. Other buildings located on the grounds
included the nurses’ building, a garage, and a farmhouse and barns.
Vaccines, drugs, and improved public hygiene greatly reduced the
incidence of the disease during the 1950s and 1960s, and the last patients were
housed at the facility in the 1970s at which time it was closed. After sitting unused for several years,
plans were announced to raze the buildings and construct condominiums and strip
malls on the land. Neighborhood activists
rallied support to preserve the property and were successful, leading to the
creation of what is known today as North Park Village.
The property was redeveloped reusing many of
the original structures which now provide senior citizen housing and a school
for the developmentally disabled, as well as a nature preserve, and
parkland. In 1989, an easement was
enacted to prevent any development of the property and to ensure the
preservation of the natural landscape for 75 years.
The Chicago Park District began leasing and redeveloping the site in
1977, and in April 2004, it officially became part of the CPD. Today visitors can experience everything from
a forest to a prairie, and a wetland to an oak savanna, in addition to numerous
public programs including a Maple Sugar Festival, Harvest Festival, and City
Wilds Fest. It has proven to be a
wonderful example of adaptive reuse, preserving the architecture and natural
setting of this hidden gem in the city of Chicago.
For more information on the North Park Village Nature Center, visit:
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