Waverly Hills Sanatorium facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Waverly Hills Sanatorium
main entrance
Geography
Location	Kentucky, United States
Organization
Hospital type	Specialist
Specialty	tuberculosis sanatorium
History
Closed	1961

The Waverly Hills Sanatorium is an old hospital building in Louisville, Kentucky. It was built to help people with tuberculosis, a serious lung disease.

It first opened in 1910 as a small hospital for about 40 to 50 patients. Back then, many people in Jefferson County were getting sick with tuberculosis, which was sometimes called the "White Plague." This led to the need for a special hospital. The hospital closed in 1961 because new medicines, like streptomycin, helped cure tuberculosis. This meant there was no longer a need for such a large hospital. Today, there are plans to turn the old sanatorium into a hotel and conference center.

History of Waverly Hills

The land where Waverly Hills stands was bought by Major Thomas H. Hays in 1883. It was his family's home. Since there were no schools nearby, Mr. Hays started a small, one-room school for his daughters. He hired Lizzie Lee Harris as the teacher.

Miss Harris loved the Waverley novels by Walter Scott. So, she named the school "Waverley School." Major Hays liked the name, and he called his property "Waverley Hill." When the hospital bought the land, they kept the name. Over time, the spelling changed to "Waverly Hills," without the second "e."

The First Hospital Building

In the early 1900s, many people in Jefferson County got tuberculosis. This was partly because of the wet areas along the Ohio River, which were good for the bacteria to spread. To help stop the disease, a two-story wooden hospital was built. It had a main building and two open-air areas, each for 20 patients. These areas were for people who had just started to get sick.

In 1911, the city of Louisville planned a new city hospital. They decided it wouldn't treat tuberculosis patients. So, the Board of Tuberculosis Hospital received money to build a hospital just for people with advanced tuberculosis.

By August 1912, all tuberculosis patients from the city hospital moved to temporary tents at Waverly Hills. This was while a new hospital for serious cases was being built. In December 1912, this new hospital opened, treating 40 more patients. In 1914, a children's area was added, making space for about 130 patients in total. This children's area was for sick kids and for children whose parents had tuberculosis and couldn't care for them. The goal was to keep adding new buildings each year to help more people.

Bigger and Better Buildings

The wooden buildings needed constant repairs. Also, more people needed beds, and the hospital didn't want to turn anyone away. So, in March 1924, construction began on a large, five-story building. This new building could hold over 400 patients.

The new building opened on October 17, 1926. But after the medicine streptomycin came out in 1943, fewer and fewer people got tuberculosis. Eventually, such a big hospital was no longer needed. The remaining patients moved to another hospital in Louisville. Waverly Hills closed its doors in June 1961.

Woodhaven Medical Services

In 1962, the building reopened as the Woodhaven Geriatric Center. This was a nursing home for older patients, many of whom had memory problems or trouble moving. It also cared for people with severe mental health challenges. However, Woodhaven had many problems. It didn't have enough staff and was too crowded. There were also reports of problems with patient care. Because of these issues, the state of Kentucky closed Woodhaven in 1982.

Future Plans for the Building

After Woodhaven closed, the building was bought by different people who had ideas for what to do with it.

One idea was to turn it into a low-security prison. But people living nearby didn't like this plan, so it was dropped. Then, there was a plan to make it into apartments.

Later, in 1996, Robert Alberhasky bought Waverly Hills. He wanted to build the world's tallest statue of Jesus there, along with a center for arts and worship. The statue would have been inspired by the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil. It would have been 150 feet tall and wide, placed on the roof of the sanatorium. The old hospital building would have become a chapel, theater, and gift shop. However, this plan didn't work out because not enough money was raised through donations. The project was canceled in 1997.

The Tunnel

Waverly Hills has a long tunnel that goes from the first floor down to the bottom of the hill. It's about 500 feet long. On one side, there are stairs that workers used. On the other side, there was a cart that moved up and down to carry supplies and other things.

When the sanatorium was open, there were no antibiotics for tuberculosis. Doctors used other ways to help patients, like heat lamps, fresh air, and positive encouragement. Sadly, many people were very sick, and many people passed away. To keep patient spirits up, the hospital tried to move the bodies of those who died as secretly as possible. They used this tunnel for that purpose. Doctors also thought this might help stop the disease from spreading.

Bringing Waverly Hills Back to Life

After the statue plans failed, Tina and Charlie Mattingly bought Waverly Hills in 2001. They now give tours of the building and host a haunted house event every Halloween. The money they earn from these events helps them restore the property. They are working to fix all the windows and restore the inside of the old sanatorium.

Music Festival at Waverly Hills

Waverly Hills Sanatorium once hosted a big music festival called Sounds of the Underground on August 11, 2007. Many popular metal bands played there, like Hatebreed and Lamb of God. However, local residents complained about the noise and crowds. Because of this, it's unlikely that similar concerts will happen there again.

Waverly Hills Today

Today, private owners manage the old sanatorium. They open the historic building for curious guests who want to stay overnight or take "ghost" tours. These tours teach visitors about the building's interesting past and its history.