The Cunningham Sanitarium was a health institution in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. Led by Dr. Orval J. Cunningham from the University of Kansas the facility was constructed to offer

oxygen therapy Oxygen therapy, also known as supplemental oxygen, is the use of oxygen as medical treatment. Acute indications for therapy include hypoxemia (low blood oxygen levels), carbon monoxide toxicity and cluster headache. It may also be prophylactica ...

on a large scale. The main structure for delivery of the treatment was a 900-ton steel sphere built in 1928. Consisting of five stories, the sphere stood at 64 feet and contained 38 rooms. 350 portholes helped to illuminate the rooms. The building was funded and built by the

Timken Roller Bearing Company The Timken Roller Bearing Company was one of the first to introduce roller bearings for railroad cars. Railroad cars owned and operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway were some of the first to use roller bearings rather than "oil wa ...

and linked to the three-story sanitarium hotel. It opened on December 1, 1928. Dr. Cunningham chose to build the sanitarium at 18485 Lake Shore Boulevard near East 185th Street. The site, along the shore of Lake Erie, was chosen for its aesthetics. Dr. Cunningham believed that he could treat cancer and diabetes with

hyperbaric medicine Hyperbaric medicine is medical treatment in which an ambient pressure greater than sea level atmospheric pressure is a necessary component. The treatment comprises hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), the medical use of oxygen at an ambient pressure ...

. Dr. Cunningham sold the site to James Rand Jr., son of one of the cofounders of Remington Rand and protégé of Cunningham, in 1934. Rand reopened the buildings the following year as the Ohio Institute of Oxygen Therapy, making use of the unique facility. It did not last long and was soon turned into a general hospital under the name Boulevard Hospital. Financial problems led to its closure in 1937 and the site lay dormant until it was bought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. The Cunningham Sanitarium building was razed on March 31, 1942 and the steel was used in the war effort. In 1950 the ground on which the sphere stood was turned into a school, St. Joseph High School, now the

Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School is a private Roman Catholic college-preparatory high school located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The school's name is commonly abbreviated VASJ. It was formed by the 1990 merger of Villa Angela Academy (all ...

. The main building was used as a hospital, Catholic Youth Organization headquarters and orphanage before becoming the St. Joseph Christian Life Center. This building was razed in 2010 and the property is used for green space by the Hospice of the Western Reserve, which owns the land.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , title=CUNNINGHAM SANITARIUM , publisher=Case Western Reserve University , url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cunningham-sanitarium/ , accessdate=30 March 2018 {{cite web , title=The Cunningham Sanitarium , publisher=Cleveland Historical , url=https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/378 , surname=Choffin , first=Morgan , accessdate=30 March 2018 Buildings and structures in Cleveland Demolished buildings and structures in Ohio Buildings and structures demolished in 2010