Well, it only took me 5 months, but I promised I’d return and I did! After scouting out most of what remains of the Irene Byron Sanatorium site back in July, I was finally able to return to this location to photograph the only remaining building from the original sanatorium/hospital complex! (If you missed the original post, find it here).
On a 28-degree day (Fahrenheit, that is), I ventured for a walk around the fenced-off building that sits to the far west of the property, secluded in derilection until its demolition day arrives. But until then, a walk through time. Join me?
Looking roughly southwest from a small, paved area, we see the final building that remains on the sanatorium property. I wish I could tell you more about what this building was, where the other sanatorium buildings once stood, and lay out the property in organized map-form, but I’m still in the process of determining what and where everything was. For now, you’ll just have to wander with me, and wonder…The southern end of the building, looking west.With the building to my back, this shot looks straight east. Note the fragmented sidewalks, now leading nowhere, that still loop about the property.Looking east/northeast, another look at the sidewalks that creep about the dead grass.The southern end/facade.Still looking at the southern facade, now with the back (west) facade of the building coming into view. This shot looks almost dead north.The back (west) facade. Photo taken looking east.Looking southeast, this shows the north and west facades of the building.North facade, looking south.Due north of the building, there is a copse of old pine trees with something curious between them…An old sidewalk and foundation sit discreetly below the towering canopies.Looking northeast, a sidewalk still runs away from the old building site and takes a sharp right to the east.Looking west, a view of the foundation amongst the trees from the other direction.A final look at the mysterious building.
With the building as thoroughly photographed as possible, I venture east toward Lima Road for a look at the final standing structure on Sanatorium property — a tiny building that previously sheltered visitors awaiting the arrival of the Interurban train, which ran from Fort Wayne north to Huntertown and beyond.
Looking west as a sidewalk leads from the building we just visited toward Lima Road.Looking south at the remnants of the Byron Health Center/Allen County Infirmary complex.Due east: the old Interurban shelter and Lima Road in the background.North facade/entrance.Looking east at Lima Road through the window.Old electrical box on the east wall inside the shelter.Looking out the south window.Looking out the west window, with the building we just came from visible in the distance.Looking out the door on the north wall, facing roughly northeast.View facing west/southwest.
Thus concludes another borderline-legal, short-lived walk through a place that will soon live only in memory. Thanks for strolling with me and farewell til our next adventure.
It was a matter of time, but the old buildings at 12101 Lima Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana are in the process of meeting their end.
Demolition began on December 12, 2022, starting with the eastern-most and newest building in the complex, which was most recently the Byron Health Center. It was demolished starting at the southern end first, with the north end finally on the ground by December 16, 2022.
December 17, 2022, BELOW: The notable absence of the Byron Health Center, demolished entirely as of this morning. The structure in the center, jutting out toward where the Byron Health Center formerly stood, is the adjoining hallway that linked the newer Byron Health Center to the east (front) with the older Allen County Infirmary/Poor Farm to the west (behind).
December 21, 2022, BELOW: The connection between the old Allen County Infirmary/Poor Farm and the Byron Health Center has been demolished, exposing for the first time in decades the original remnants of the front facade of the Allen County Infirmary/Poor Farm.
In my last post, I asked — tongue in cheek, I might add! — about what they’d knock down next. I should have known better.
The (not-so-simple) History
Meet the Byron Health Center, located at the corner of Lima and Carroll Roads in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1916, this property (well, technically the property just north of where the Byron Health Center stands today) started its human-occupied life as a tent hospital called Fort Recovery that was built largely due to the efforts of Irene Byron, a local nurse and the executive secretary of the Fort Wayne Anti-Tuberculosis League. Soon, a permanent TB hospital was built — the Irene Byron Hospital, which gave homage to the nurse who poured her life into its founding. The Allen County Poor Farm, which became known as the Allen County Home, also moved here in 1916. Also on this site at some point over the years was a nursing school, physician homes associated with the TB hospital, and a penal farm. Let’s put it this way: the history here is long and expansive, and untangling it all from itself has proven a lot more complicated than I thought when I started out on this venture!
With that said, please note that the research burden on this article and those to follow will be significant. These posts will be subject to high amounts of editing as I garner new information and clarify old details! Please be patient as I try to make this as accurate and factual as possible. [/end admin PSA]
Back to the interesting stuff! Since its founding, this site was occupied and used in some manner all the way up until May 2020, when the building of Byron Health Center’s new facility downtown was complete, and the entirety of the staff and patients relocated, leaving the shell of a sprawling facility and acreage, rich in history, just begging to be demolished.
Not surprisingly, the county soon decided to oblige. Nine days ago, plans to demolish the site and sell the land were announced. Over the past several months, efforts to clear the buildings and take care of asbestos has left the facility with gaping holes in her walls, a sad remnant of the pride she once was.
Naturally, I couldn’t resist. Join me for one final tour, will you?
But First, The Maps…
If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s not knowing exactly where I am or what I’m looking at, so for the sake of clarity, I made you some aerial maps to help you understand what you’re seeing on the ground and where it’s located. The property is far too large to be contained in one photo, so I will post the northern-most photo first, followed by the property immediately south, etc. There is some overlap between photos, so it should be fairly easy (let me know if it isn’t!) to follow along.
FORT RECOVERY / IRENE BYRON SANATARIUM / IRENE BYRON TUBERCULOSIS HOSPITAL: The property above housed the original Fort Recovery as well as the Irene Byron Sanatarium and TB hospital, both to the north and south of Recovery Road. The red area shows the route I took through this area of the property. Please note the building standing at the western edge, which I wasn’t able to photograph due to a dying phone and fading sunlight. Also note the number of old roads and indentations in the ground remaining from structures that are no longer present.KIDDER HOUSE / DRAPER – SHERWOOD HOUSE: This is the old site of the Kidder House and Draper-Sherwood House, both physician residences associated with the TB hospital. The small, extremely narrow path marked “D” leads north to the old Fort Recovery/Sanatarium site. The red, once again, shows my path through this property.BYRON HEALTH CENTER / ALLEN COUNTY HOME / ALLEN COUNTY HEALTH CENTER. This is the Byron Health Center complex. According to an old map, the original buildings of the Allen County Home (aka the Allen County Poor Farm) sit just behind the newer Byron Health Center buildings, the latter of which are located to the far east of the property, closest to Lima Rd/Rte 3. Numbers marked on this map show entrance numbers as they appeared on the buildings. Site A will be mentioned in a later photograph.
A Word to the Wise:
This is private property and is clearly marked just about everywhere with prominent, bordering-on-redundant NO TRESPASSING signs. At no point did I enter the premises; I only photographed what I could from the exterior of the buildings. If you’re interested in photos of the inside, check out this blogger, who snagged some photos of the interior during an auction tour (scroll to the last post for pics!) Inside Byron Health Center
And finally, the really interesting part…
On the approach: entering the property from the south (off Carroll Road) heading north into the main parking lot.This photo shows the far south end of the complex. On the back of this building are entrances 6 and 7. This is the front of the same building, which faces east. Note the awnings for reference and then proceed below…Now looking straight west at the same portion of building as the photo above, this is a frontal view of the eastern side of the southern-most building.Looking directly at the Byron Health Center from the south. The large, windowed building to the right faces Lima Road / Rte 3. Directly ahead are the roundabout and entrances 2 and 3.Looking slightly more northwest than the image above. This shows the long, hallway-like structure that connects the main building complex to the southern-most structure on the property.There are two entrances off Lima Road to this facility, and this is the southern one. It still has its sign intact, which is perhaps the only one remaining on this site.Southern side of the front facade (facing east/Lima Rd) of Byron Health Center. (Photograph taken facing northwest)Byron Health Center in all her remaining glory. Heading under the awning of the front entrance to Byron Health Center. Note the parking area to the right and the entrance number conveniently displayed on the awning.The old front entrance to Byron Health Center. The damage to the interior of the building is evident even from outside.Northern end of Byron Health Center.Looking southwest at Bryon Health Center, front facade.This is the north-facing facade of Byron Health Center, entrance 25.Entrance 23 is visible just to the left of center past the small parking lot. This photo shows the end of the more modern structure (Byron Health Center) and shows the older building connected to it, presumably part of the old Allen County Home.Looking southwest on the northern-most portion of the old buidling. Site A is visible where the boarded area sits just below the tree branches.Site A.Old sign for the Allen County Work Release Program, which, word has it, was housed in this building as recently as 2020.Looking directly south at entrance 19.This photo is of the northern-most parking lot, facing northwest. An old, unused basketball hoop waits for demo day.Looking southeast from the northern lot. Entrances 19 and 18 are visible.Heading back from whence I came, this is the back (western-facing) facade of the old Byron Health Center with part of the small lot visible on the right.Looking south at the small lot pictured partially above. The back (west) wall of the old Byron Health Center is on the far left.Back under the front awning. heading south.A fleeting close-up of the front door.We are now at the southern end of the old Byron Health Center, looking at the western facade. The door just right of center is entrance 2.Looking north, entrance 2 is now out of frame to the right. This is the old roundabout. Entrance 3 is under the awning just to right of center.Entrance 3 (facing west). Entrance 3 now to the right; looking west at the older building behind Byron Health Center.The roundabout from the northern-most point. An old lantern bows its head as if in memory of those residents long forgotten.This is now the western facade of the southern-most building, entrances 7 and 6.Western facade of the long, hall-like structure that connects the southern building to the main complex.Southern facades of the Allen County Home. Entrance 9 visible far right, entrance 10 and 13 visible on the left (two white doors).Western facade of long hallway. The back (west-facing) side of Bryon Health Center is visible in the background.Closer view of the southern facade of the old Allen County Home. Entrance 10 (white door) to the far left.Entrance 10. Photo taken facing northwest.Entrances 11, 12, 13, still on the southern facade of the Allen County Home.Southwest corner of the Allen County Home. Entrance 14 is visible just to the right of center.Entrance 14 and outbuildings at the western edge of the facility.Sunset over the old buildings. A final outbuilding, separated from the main complex by a street, is visible to the left.Close-up of the separated outbuilding.Western facade of the Allen County Home (back side). Entrance 14 to the right of center.Back (western facade) of Allen County Home.Northern-most portion of the western (back) side of the Allen County Home. Entrances 15 and 16 visible.An old road that departs the road encircling the Byron Health Center complex and heads northwest toward still-occupied (but undeniably old) county facilities.Northern-most portion of the back (west) facade of the Old County Home. Entrance 18 visible.Looking east down the northern-most road on the Byron Health Center site. North parking lot off to left.Back along the northern facade of the Old County Home, this is a close-up of Site A (marked on the aerial map above).Old baseball field, which sits just north of the complex.Looking north with Lima / Rte 3 on the right and the brick pillars that marked the driveways of the old Kidder & Draper-Sherwood Homes on the left.Heading onto the driveway of the southern-most pair of pillars.Heading west down the driveway, which splits to either side and forms a circle.Site A on the Kidder / Draper-Sherwood Home map. Photograph taken facing roughly southeast. The drive that comes off the cirle and heads southwest appears to dead-end here, but you can see on the aerial map that at one point, it continued.Looking north from site A at the southern edge of the circular road.Looking north at site B.Site B, photographed facing northwest. This appears to be an old, concrete foundation – perhaps of one of the homes that once stood here.Site B to the left, this shows the road continuing north before it bends right (east).Standing on site B, this photograph was taken facing east toward Lima. The two driveways, marked by pillars, are visible to the left and right in this photo.Site C, located behind Site B, appears to be an old covered well with a hand-pump.Looking east at Site B while standing near site C.Looking north at the tiny path that runs northwest toward the old Fort Recovery / Irene Bryon Hospital site (marked D on the map).Site E – a large, paved area where Site D (the narrow walking path) ends, looking roughtly north.Facing west from roughly Site E, a road runs westward, just to the south of the only remaining building on Fort Recovery / Irene Byron Hospital property.A distant shot, facing roughly northwest, of the only remaining building on the old Fort Recovery / Sanatarium property, looking toward Site F.Looking east toward Site G, down the northern-most driveway that leads to Lima Road from the old Fort Recovery / Sanatarium site.Site G: northern driveway pillars that mark the old entrance to the Fort Recovery / Sanatarium site.Looking north toward Recovery Road from Site G.West toward the remaining building from Site G.Beyond the pillar of Site G sits Site H – a small, abandoned structure that may have once been a train or trolley shelter as Fort Wayne’s section of the T&C interurban would have run down Lima during the early years of this property’s history. For more on the interurban, see KPC News – Interurban RailwayLooking northwest toward the water tower / Recovery Road. One of the old maps I found indicates that at least some part of Fort Recovery / the old Sanatarium lay north of Recovery Road on a site that is now occupied by the Allen County Sheriff’s office and Pro-Build.
Coming Soon!
This property has left me with no shortage of potential research, and next up is a look into the personal history of Irene Byron, the nurse and healthcare pioneer who risked her life to care for Allen County’s TB-stricken patients, and eventually, the servicemen of WWI. A great deal is known about her accomplishments, but who was Irene Byron? Who were her parents? Where was she from? All that and more, coming soon!
Foreign and Forlorn 