The Architecture of Health: An Architectural Response to an Epidemic
Lecture
FREE
Saturday, February 2, 2:00pm
La Cañada Flintridge Public Library
Historian Ann Scheid will discuss how sleeping porches became a desirable feature of many dwellings and how architects such as Charles & Henry Greene, Myron Hunt, Gordon Kaufmann and Frederick Roehrig responded to the tuberculosis epidemic in a region where the climate drew many health-seekers.
At the turn of the 20th century tuberculosis accounted for approximately one in five adult deaths, affecting every part of society. The main treatment available was living and sleeping out of doors. It was believed that a strong constitution, developed by a vigorous outdoor life, was the best way to cure and prevent tuberculosis. Patients visited sanitariums where they slept on “cure porches” and were encouraged to exercise vigorously. Schools and other institutions were also redesigned to foster the outdoor life.
ANN SCHEID is a member of the Gamble House staff and heads the Greene & Greene Archives at the Huntington Library.