Bowne Memorial Hospital
| Poughkeepsie Tuberculosis Sanatorium | |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1913 |
| Closed | 1956 |
| Current Status | Preserved |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Location | Poughkeepsie, NY |
| Alternate Names | Bowne Memorial Hospital |
History
The Samuel and Nettie Bowne Hospital was established on the rural outskirts of Poughkeepsie. Samuel Bowne had made a sizable fortune hawking cod liver oil as a founding partner of the New York City pharmacological firm Scott and Bowne, and went on to establish a reputation as a generous philanthropist before succumbing to a series of strokes in 1910. His widow wanted to build a 50-bed hospital in his memory, choosing a site on the former Pendell Farm and donating $50,000 to the project. Construction began on the main hospital building in 1913; it gradually expanded to comprise three large buildings linked by long open-air porches, plus an array of pavilions and outbuildings.
By 1928, the max capacity of the hospital was 127 patients (105 were admitted that year). The comfortable rooms and apartments (if you wanted to pay a bit extra) were designed to allow for light flow and access to the balcony. The idea of the hospital was to allow patients with lesser means to receive the finest care available at the time. A Preventorium building was built adjacent to the main hospital for patients infected with tuberculosis but not yet demonstrating an active form of the disease. The building was designed to isolate those patients from uninfected individuals as well as patients who displayed outward symptoms.
Bowne Hospital flourished but in 1936 an antibiotic to kill tuberculosis was discovered, all but dooming the future of the Poughkeepsie operation and similar facilities nationwide. By 1956, tuberculosis was treated as an outpatient illness and the need for dedicated hospitals came to an end.The Samuel and Nettie Bowne Hospital closed in August 1956. Ten months prior to the hospital's closing, the Dutchess County Board of Supervisors appointed a committee to pursue the establishment of a community college in the county. After reviewing the hospital site, the committee recommended it as a viable property for the project.
That original structure, all that remains today of the tuberculosis hospital, eventually became the first building on the Dutchess Community College campus, Bowne Hall. In September 1958, Dutchess Community College opened its doors to its first incoming class of students. Almost 700 men and women.
