Pine Crest Sanitorium

1919-1954

Oshtemo Township was once home to a large-scale sanitorium complex along 9th street called Pine Crest. The facility, established by Dr. Benjamin A. Shepard to treat those suffering from the ill effects of tuberculosis, was privately operated until the State of Michigan took over the administration of the hospital around 1944, purchasing the rest home for $25,000 after Shepard died. The sanitorium was ultimately discontinued in 1954 when the state sold the property. That same year, the Southwestern Michigan TB Sanitorium was opened in Kalamazoo’s West Douglas Neighborhood, making the duplication of treatment unnecessary and costly.

Shepard, a longtime expert on treating tuberculosis came to Kalamazoo from Plainwell in 1911. He established his private facility in Kalamazoo, on 148 W. Inkster Street around 1919-1920. But it wasn’t long before he moved his entire enterprise to a 30-acre parcel of land in Oshtemo Township, on land just south of the 9th street and U.S. 12 (aka Stadium Drive) intersection.

Shepard created the cottage-style treatment of patients, as it was the standard belief of medical professionals during the first half of the 20th century that access to fresh air, rest and surgery were the best ways to cure tuberculosis. The complex expanded over the years, and new buildings and cottages were built. 500 acres of nearby land was used as a farm for the raising of cows and chickens, so as to be a regular source of milk and eggs for the patients. The self sufficient complex was equipped with its own heating plant and water wells. There were 20 nurses on staff, as well as multiple doctors who would assist in diagnosis, treatment and surgeries.

“From its small beginning, Pine Crest has developed into a complete institution. Thee are 22 cottages, many of them commemorating the names of those who have done notable work in tuberculosis, such as Trudeau and Pritchard. One of these is a large cottage for children. The central administrative building includes administrative offices, medical and dental offices, X-ray rooms, laboratories, surgical ward and the dining room and kitchen. A growing library now includes nearly 300 volumes.”

–Kalamazoo Gazette, 1 January 1941

The doctors, nurses and administrators worked to make life in rural Oshtemo as normal as possible for the patients, who were intentionally isolated. Speakers were brought in to lecture on specific topics. Dr. Caroline Bartlett Crane spoke on the importance of the preservation of forests. Dramatic and musical performances were featured in attempt to entertain the patients, many of whom were young men who came back from WWI with an assortment of health problems. In 1949, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported that the facility had developed a miniature pin league for patients who couldn’t participate in regular bowling, stating “The therapeutic value of the little bowling league is great according to sanatorium officials. Most of the players are recovering from long bouts with TB and have spent months alone in white walled rooms. It is no easy task for them to emerge and mingle with others after so much solitude.” (KG, 10-9-49)

However, by the late 1940s, the rest home’s outdated methods and dilapidated conditions were being scrutinized by local media and state health officials. An article appearing in the Kalamazoo Gazette in January 1950 had the headline: “Pine Crest’s facilities to treat TB patients labeled ‘a disgrace’.”

“An antiquated, termite-ridden clutter of wood and paperboard shacks huddled about a hopelessly outdated and poorly equipped administration building, Pine Crest sanatorium stands publicly labeled by state health officials as inferior to the hospital facilities available to the convicts in Jackson Prison. This despite the fact that 445,000 persons in this seven-county area depend on Pine Crest and its cramped 110-bed capacity.”

–Kalamazoo Gazette 22 January 1950

Despite the problems connected to the facilities outmoded and “impractical” plan, the state continued to pour money into Pine Crest until it closed four years later, when its patients were transferred to Kalamazoo’s new sanitorium on Blakeslee Street. Several of the structurally sound buildings on the campus survived demolition but the cottages were immediately razed soon after the state sold the property. By the late 1960s, Pine Crest’s old administration building was being used by a Western Michigan University fraternity. Today, the land where Pine Crest once treated hundreds of patients constitutes Flesher Field.

Written by Ryan Gage, Kalamazoo Public Library staff, May 2024.