Ocean Vista Hospital*
Despite being the location a cure was discovered for one of the deadliest diseases ever, this hospital lies in ruins.
Updated July 24, 2019 | By Matthew Christopher
Once known as consumption, or the white plague, pulmonary tuberculosis has been one of the most devastating diseases known to mankind. The oldest conclusive identification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacillus dates from 17,000 years ago, and evidence of its deadly presence has been found in nearly every society, from that of prehistoric man to the present day. By the 1800s tuberculosis was thriving in urban areas, causing roughly one out of every four deaths in Europe. Despite massive health campaigns to educate the urban poor and quarantine the sick in sanatoria that maximized their exposure to light and fresh air, the disease was barely slowed and half of those treated still died within five years.
Ocean Vista Hospital (given a pseudonym in this publication) was opened in 1913 to treat cases from New York City, where tuberculosis was claiming more lives than any other disease. The New York Times heralded Ocean Vista as “the largest and finest hospital ever built for the care and treatment of those who suffer from tuberculosis in any form. It is a magnificent institution that is vast, ingenious, practical, convenient, sanitary and beautiful. [It is] the greatest hospital planned in the worldwide fight now being waged against the ‘white plague.’ The opening of this hospital is the most important event of this decade in the effort to save 10,000 lives each year, that being the number in the past that have been lost to New York through the ravages of tuberculosis. This splendid hospital, erected by the City of New York at great cost, will serve a most humane purpose in the comfortable care of those who would otherwise be sufferers from neglect and privation.”
Though this appears to have been an exterior porch, at some point afterwards it was enclosed. The terra cotta sea shells on the wall are one of the building's most distinctive features.
Eight four-story pavilions were built, with porches lining each floor, in addition to French doors and large windows that encouraged the circulation of air. There were also several supporting structures, including a surgical pavilion, residences for the doctors and nurses, an administration building, dining and laundry facilities, and a power house. Like the Maryland Tuberculosis Sanatorium for African Americans, Ocean Vista was perched on a hill to maximize exposure to the wind. Though the first successful immunization occurred in 1906, this treatment did not catch on outside of France until after World War II. In the interim, fresh air, rest, sunlight, and periodic operations that collapsed one of the patient’s lungs so it could rest or injected air into patients’ chests were some of the only treatments available. Ocean Vista’s capacity was quickly expanded from 1,100 to 2,000 four years after the facility opened.
Ocean Vista’s crowning moment came in 1952, when a cure for tuberculosis was found there. There had been successes with other treatments introduced in 1947 including exposure to fresh air and Streptomycin, but treating the disease with Isoniazid was a pivotal moment in the battle against the disease. Experiments on some of the most desperate cases at Ocean Vista produced miraculous results, and eventually the drug’s success led to the elimination of the need for sanatoria altogether. The last patients were discharged from Ocean Vista in 1961 and much of the 365-acre campus sank into disrepair. Four pavilions were demolished when a nursing home was built and a few other buildings were repurposed, but despite its designation as part of a historic district in 1985, large parts of the campus remain neglected.
These photographs were taken in the women’s pavilions, built between 1909 and 1911. While they are in extremely poor condition, many items used in the treatments remain. Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking losses is from the porches, which were enclosed in the 1930s. Beautiful terracotta murals, imported from Holland, show scenes of doctors and nurses treating patients amid colorful designs featuring flowers and seashells. Pieces of the murals have become a favorite souvenir for trespassers at the site and are swiftly vanishing. Over the coming years, without a plan to restore the pavilions, demolition by neglect will probably lead to their erasure too.
* Please note that the true name of this location has not been disclosed to prevent theft, vandalism, and arson. Abandoned buildings are vulnerable and I do not want my work contributing to their decline.
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