National Register of Historic Places

Will Rogers Memorial Hospital

Saranac Lake, Essex County, New York
Listed
September 7, 1983
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83001679

About this property

Will Rogers Memorial Hospital is a historic tuberculosis sanatorium located at Saranac Lake in Essex County, New York. It was built in 1928 as the National Vaudeville lodge by the National Vaudeville Artists Association, who previously sent patients to the Kennedy Cottage. It is a three-story, T-shaped, steel frame and reinforced concrete structure above a raised basement. It is faced in stucco and decorative half-timber framing in the Tudor Revival style. It features asymmetrical massing, a three-story polygonal tower with a hexagonal roof, and three story pavilions with recessed sleeping porches. It was named in honor of entertainer Will Rogers (1879-1935) in 1936 and provided unconventional tubercular treatment to entertainment industry patients from 1936 to 1975. New York State demanded upgrades in the building, which would have cost over a million dollars. The Will Rogers Institute decided it was cheaper to buy a building downstate, out of the Adirondack Park, than to update the existing building. Over 100 jobs were lost because of New York State's demand. It also was open as a night club but when casinos were voted down in New York, it was closed. Then it was open as an apartment house. It stood abandoned for years slowly deteriorating. It was briefly used as press headquarters for the 1980 Winter Olympics. Finally it was bought and after a huge renovation was done both to the outside and inside, it currently houses an independent living facility known as Saranac Village at Will Rogers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Location

Saranac Lake, Essex County, New York
44.31086, -74.11366

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Will Rogers Memorial Hospital

This page lists Will Rogers Memorial Hospital. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Will Rogers Memorial Hospital report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Marquay Cottage
Industrial
0.9 mi
Magill Cottage (Additional Documentation)
Industrial
0.9 mi
Distin Cottage
Industrial
1 mi
Witherspoon Cottage
Industrial
1 mi
Freer Cottage
Industrial
1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Will Rogers Memorial Hospital listed on the National Register?

Will Rogers Memorial Hospital was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 7, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Will Rogers Memorial Hospital?

Will Rogers Memorial Hospital is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Will Rogers Memorial Hospital?

The period of significance for Will Rogers Memorial Hospital is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Will Rogers Memorial Hospital?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Will Rogers Memorial Hospital will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Essex County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Essex County.

Explore EssexCounty ›

More historic places in New York

Browse all historic places in New York.

View New Yorkhistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

New York history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

New Yorkhistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Will Rogers Memorial Hospital will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report