Battle Creek Sanitarium (74 N. Washington Avenue)
This complex with its famous fieldstone structure (now demolished) has a historical significance due to its association with Dr. John Harvey Kellogg—a pioneer in the field of preventative medicine—its influence on the growth and notoriety of the city of Battle Creek, and from its later function as one of the nation’s largest military hospitals. It has architectural significance as an excellent example of a large-scale Beaux Arts Classical building. The sanitarium was founded in 1866 by Ellen G. White of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Originally called the Western Health Reform Institute, the site was the birthplace of many of Dr. Kellogg’s innovative health practices and inventions. Architect Frank Andrews of Ohio designed the fieldstone building in 1903 and Chicago architect M. J. Moorehouse designed the fifteen-story Towers addition in 1928. It was Battle Creek’s tallest building. By the time it was completed, the Battle Creek Sanitarium had evolved into an immense complex. Henry Ford and other famous guests visited the sanitarium. The U.S. Army later assumed ownership of the main building at a cost of $2,341,000 and the Towers building was significantly altered. On June 14, 1942, the main building was given official designation as the Percy Jones Army Hospital, later known as the Percy Jones Medical Center. In 1976 the Cataloging and Standardization Offices of the Air Force Logistics Command were centralized in the complex.[i]
Advertisement is from Scarborough’s Road Map and Motor Guide of Michigan, published in March of 1913.
Historic Highway Guides 