Hickory Grove Sanatorium
| Hickory Grove Sanatorium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Construction Began | 1913 |
| Opened | 1915 |
| Closed | 1975 |
| Demolished | 1992 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | De Pere, WI |
| Architecture Style | Spanish/Mediterranean Styles |
| Alternate Names |
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History
Located about 4 miles south of De Pere, Wisconsin, on a hill overlooking the scenic Fox River. This hospital for people afflicted with tuberculosis was built in 1913 and opened Feb. 15, 1915. In March 1927, the Brown County Board voted to borrow $250,000 to build the additional structure, which would be a three-story building with three sets of bathrooms on each floor and sun porches on the front and ends. On the third floor, an open plaza area would lead to the bell tower, with a bell that would toll every hour. Once constructed, a 45-foot tunnel would connect the old building with the new.
The original building was to remain on the property to house the staff, but as transportation became a household option, workers began to commute. In September 1929, the 43 patients at the facility were moved to the new building. By March of 1936, 100 tuberculosis patients were being attended to at the facility. In December of 1956, with a max capacity of 86, the patient number sat at 80, while the facility played host to patients from other counties in Northeast Wisconsin. In 1955, Hickory Grove was one of just 18 county sanatoria in the state. By 1957, that number was down to 17.
In September 1971, the sanatorium housed 45 patients — just 23 with tuberculosis (TB) — and the county began to make budget cuts to the facility. The following year began and 91 employees were on the payroll — a number the county hoped to get down to 62 or 65 by the end of the year. By the end of the year, Hickory Grove was being promoted as an extended care facility, with the chronically ill assigned to one floor. As the original building was declining, there was talk of razing the 1915 structure.
By 1973, the county board approved the demolition of the building and work to cap off the basement of the structure, as it could still be reached from the tunnel and used for storage. Demolished in the late 1990s after several failed attempts to find a use for the old building. The property is now home to Hickory Grove Heights.
