Boston Consumptives Hospital

Set on a hillside in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood, this campus on River Street grew from a mid-19th century country property into the largest tuberculosis hospital in Massachusetts. The city opened it to patients in July 1908, when consumption was among the leading causes of death in Boston. Buildings were added over the following decades, including two-story concrete wards, small cottage wards for patients who could walk, open-air wards, a power house, a nurses home and a large administration building completed in 1929. Treatment relied on fresh air, rest and nourishing food, and the layouts show this through porches, balconies and open wards. The 19 surviving buildings represent Italianate, Craftsman, Art Deco and Revival styles, designed largely by Maginnis & Walsh and James H. Ritchie & Associates. Stone walls line most of the boundary. Several wards stand vacant and in poor condition, but the complex keeps its overall architectural integrity and its record of early public tuberculosis care.