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Discovering The Castle With A Crematorium
- Jessica Miller and Jim Rassenberger walk around 455 Central Park West and discover turrets and a remnant smokestack tied to a crematorium.
- The building opened in 1887 as the nation's first hospital devoted solely to cancer and originally had an on-site crematorium.
Why A Separate Cancer Hospital Was Created
- Late 1800s hospitals avoided cancer patients due to fear, stigma, and published death rates that would tarnish statistics.
- Philanthropists built the New York Cancer Hospital in 1887 to create a specialized institution for cancer care and fundraising.
Castle Architecture Was A Marketing Tool
- Hospitals of that era were designed to look like castles or mansions to attract wealthier paying patients and shift care from home to institution.
- The turrets were actually circular wards with perimeter beds so doctors could make rounds efficiently.