Westport Sanitarium
| Westport Sanitarium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Opened | 1891 |
| Closed | 1960s |
| Demolished | 1970s |
| Current Status | Preserved |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | Westport, CT |
History
The Westport Sanitarium under the supervision of Dr. Frederick D. Ruland first opened in 1891 at the corner of Post Road East and Compo Road North. Prior to being a sanitarium, the property had been the lavish home of State Senator Richard Henry Winslow. Compo House. Also known as the Winslow Mansion, the house was built in 1853 and in 1859 the annual fireworks display on the property even brought president Millard Fillmore to Westport. The institution treated “nervous diseases” such as insanity and was listed as a place to be “cured of liquor, tobacco and drug habits” in directories of sanitariums between 1904 and 1906.
By the 1950s the tuberculosis epidemic had diminished, as modern medicinal practices became common. Sanatoria around the U.S. shut their doors. The Westport Sanitarium accepted patients up until the late 1960s when it was bought by Dr. Walter Langendorf founder of Evyan perfume. The entire site would be leveled for a public park in the 1970s. Many of the occupying patients at that time were transferred to nearby hospitals
