In 2001, Tina and Charlie Mattingly purchased the site for $230,000. However, the project was cancelled in December 1997 as Alberhasky had failed to raise sufficient funds only $3,000 was raised in spite of a nation wide fundraising campaign. The sculpture, which was designed to be 150 feet tall and 150 feet wide, was estimated to cost $4 million to construct. Alberhasky was inspired by the famous Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, and sought to eclipse it with an even larger one. In March 1996, Robert Alberhasky bought over Waverly Hills in hopes of erecting the world’s tallest statue of Jesus. Plans to convert Waverly Hills into a minimum-security prison was met with violent objections from the local community, while attempts to covert the building into apartments fell through due to a lack of funding Patients receiving sunlight and fresh air | Image credits: Mental Flossīarely a year later, the site was purchased by real estate developer J. In 1982, the state of Kentucky ordered for the closure of Woodhaven Geriatric Center. ![]() However, the facility was severely understaffed, leading to numerous cases of patient neglect. In June 1961, Waverly Hills Sanatorium closed its operations.Ī year later, Waverly Hills reopened its doors as Woodhaven Geriatric Center, a nursing home that treats aging and mentally handicapped patients. With the introduction of the groundbreaking pill, the number of tuberculosis cases across the nation decreased dramatically, making tuberculosis treatment centers such as Waverly Hills Sanatorium redundant. In 1943, American microbiologist Albert Israel Schatz invented streptomycin, an antibiotic medication that proved to be very effective in the treatment of tuberculosis. Aerial view of Waverly Hills Sanatorium on 1938 | Image credits: Waverly Hills Sanatorium website Apart from growing fruits and raising livestock for food, the sanatorium also housed its own post office and water treatment facility. ![]() The gothic-style sanatorium was said to be one of the most modern tuberculosis treatment center of its time, and can house as many as 400 tuberculosis patients.ĭue to the infectious nature of tuberculosis, Waverly Hills operated as a self-contained community. On October 17, 1926, the sanatorium opened the massive five-story building that we now see today. Over the years, Waverly Hills Sanatorium expanded to serve the growing number of patients in Jefferson County. Waverly Hills Sanatorium two-story building | Image credits: Kentucky Historic Institutions On July 26, 1910, the two-story Waverly Hills Sanatorium officially opened its doors and received its first batch of 40 tuberculosis patients. In an attempt to contain the outbreak, the Board of Tuberculosis Hospital decided to erect a hospital in the far-flung corners of the county for the admission and treatment of tuberculosis patients. ![]() In the early 19th century, Jefferson County was devastated by an outbreak of tuberculosis. The school and his home was later named Waverley School and Waverley Hills respectively, after Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley novels. After the construction of his family home, Major Hays decided to operate a one-room schoolhouse on the property for his daughters. The history of Waverly Hills Sanatorium dates back to 1883 when the land was purchased by Major Thomas H. During World War II, the tunnel was used as an air raid shelter for patients and staffs in the facility Metal gate at the end of the Body Chute Image credits: FugiMan Tripadvisor History of Waverly Hills Sanatorium Apart from transporting dead bodies, the tunnel is also used to deliver supplies from the local community to the top of the hill where Waverly Hills Sanatorium is located.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |