Waverly Hills Sanatorium

Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Louisville, Kentucky

This massive gothic-style Sanatorium got its start when, in the early 1900s, Jefferson County was ravaged by a tuberculosis outbreak. This prompted the state legislature, in 1906, to vote on building a new specialized hospital.

The site selected was known as Waverley Hill and had been owned by the Hays family in 1883. Mr. Hays had built a one-room schoolhouse and hired Lizzie Lee Harris to teach his children. As a fan of the Waverley novels from Walter Scott, Lizzie got permission to name the schoolhouse Waverley School.

In 1910, what would become known as Waverly Hills Sanatorium, got its start with a 2 story hospital with a capacity of 40. This was increased in subsequent years through additions, such as the children's pavilion which was used for both sick children and the children of tuberculosis patients. Even with these additions, the needs quickly outgrew the original building and Waverly was granted additional accommodations.

Construction of the current 5 story structure began in March of 1924 and opened for business on October 17, 1926. It was considered one of the most modern facilities at the time and increased capacity to 435 beds. The structure, and its surroundings, became a self-contained community, however, this would still be insufficient in addressing the needs of the community. Only 6 years later, Waverly had 480 patients and between 75-100 on a waiting list.

The facility served as a tuberculosis hospital until 1961, a couple of years after the discovery of streptomycin, an antibiotic that successfully treated and cured tuberculosis. The building found new life a year later when it opened as WoodHaven Medical Services, a geriatric facility that would be closed by court order in 1980 due to improper patient care.