History
- Built in 1919
- National Register designation September 1, 2021
The Fairview Sanitorium (also referred to as the Fairview Sanitarium) was designed by Bloomington architect Arthur L. Pillsbury. It was constructed in 1919 and originally served as a tuberculosis sanitorium operated by McLean County. Its use as a tuberculosis treatment facility continued until 1965, after which multiple County and local organizations--including the McLean County Health Department--occupied the building until its closure in 2012. Fairview has since been used as a records storage site.
The Colonial Revival-style building consists of two floors with a W-shaped footprint, brick façade, and a hipped roof originally shingled with clay tile. The windows feature limestone sills and flat steel lintels with brick. Some of the sashing has been replaced with non-historic vinyl; similarly, the roof has been re-roofed with asphalt tile since the building's construction. In the interior, the first floor features a glass and metal vestibule built in the 1970s which leads to the main corridor. Double-loaded corridors extend to the northeast and southwest, with connecting perpendicular corridors in the rear wings. Many of the large, open sleeping rooms original to the building remain, as well as areas of historic terrazzo flooring and wainscoting, terrazzo water fountain surrounds, plaster walls and ceilings, and built-in wooden cabinetry. Although alterations have been made to the structure since its construction to support its continued use a medical facility, Fairview retains many historic features characteristic of early 20th century tuberculosis sanitaria.
