This month we are heading to New Canaan, Connecticut. The original building that later held Brooks’ Sanatorium was built in 1898 by a wealthy summer resident, Ellen Josephine Hall. Hall purchased the 11 acre property with the intention of opening a sanatorium for her nephew, Dr. Charles Osborne. They left town and the building was sold to Dr. Myron J. Brooks and his wife, Marion.
The Brooks’ Sanatorium opened shortly after, specializing in the recovery of tuberculosis patients and other lung diseases. The sanatorium boasted it was “not for the care, but…for the modern and scientific treatment of Disease of the Lungs.” Aerotherapy (use of hot air and climate to treat diseases), hydrotherapy (use of water for pain treatment), suralimentation (forced feeding of nutrients), and inhalation-therapy (use of nebulizers with drugs to treat lungs) were practiced regularly along with detailed attention to sanitation practices. Dr. Brooks became New Canaan’s health officer and medical examiner during World War l and kept the title until 1929.
He closed his practice during this time and made it a private residence, living there until the death of his wife in 1935. After his death in 1937, local developers bought the land and named the road, Brooks Road, after the doctor. Since then, the home has been the Buttonball Inn, Three Hundred Inn, and Carlton Manor Inn.
In 1956 it was sold as a private residence and has remained a private residence since, with its caretakers paying special attention to its rich history.
Sources:
Brooks’ Sanatorium. (Medical Trade Ephemera Collection) Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
Dinan, Terry. “South Avenue Landmark: Brooks Sanatorium, Reincarnated.” New Canaanite, April 8, 2018. Website. March 29, 2018. https://newcanaanite.com/south-avenue-landmark-brooks-sanatorium-reincarnated-1936