Stamford Hall Sanitarium
| Stamford Hall Sanitarium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | January 1892 |
| Closed | December 1965 |
| Demolished | 2020 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Location | Stamford, CT |
| Alternate Names |
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History
Stamford Hall Sanitarium, also referred to as Dr. Givens’ Sanitarium, was opened in January 1892 by founder and head physician Amos J. Givens. Givens was educated at the Eclectic Medical Institute in Cincinnati, and after graduation interned at the State Homoeopathic Insane Hospital (Middletown, NY) and the Westboro Insane Hospital (MA). He eventually settled in Stamford and established a sanitarium to treat mental disorders and substance addictions, including alcohol, opium, chloral and cocaine habits. Treatment included private nurses, baths, massage, hydrotherapy, faradic, galvanic, and static electricity.
When the hospital first opened, it consisted of only two cottages, but it quickly grew to be the largest private sanitarium in New England. The patient population in 1896 was 75 and by 1906 it was 250.
Stamford Hall became so renowned for its treatments and beautiful campus that it attracted many well-to-do clientele. As noted in Givens’ 1919 obituary: “Some of the most distinguished statesmen, lawyers, judges, clergy, writers and bankers in America have been patients here. Were the list made public, it would cause astonishment, for often when the public assumed that certain well known people were traveling abroad, or spending vacations in some out-of-the-way resort, they were under treatment here.”
One notable patient was Draper Daugherty, the son of the Attorney General under President Harding. Daugherty first made headlines in 1923 as a suspect in the murder of Broadway actress and socialite Dorothy “Dot” King. King was found dead in her New York City apartment “chloroformed to death.” Thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry was missing as well. Daugherty was an admirer of King. Though he was nowhere near New York City when King’s body was discovered, because he was married and was suddenly admitted to Stamford Hall fueled rumors that he was hiding something. Later that year, Daugherty escaped from Stamford Hall during a daily walk. He was first admitted to the hospital for alcoholism and quickly gained a reputation for being a “troublesome patient” after multiple escape attempts. Daugherty was never brought back to the hospital and King’s murder remains unsolved.
Stamford Hall remained in operation until it was closed in 1965.
