Park Points of Interest: Barlow Respiratory Hospital
On the edge of Elysian Park on Stadium Way, you will discover a cluster of white buildings, many of which seem transported from another time. This is the Barlow Respiratory Hospital, a former tuberculosis sanitorium and now a long-term acute care facility for respiratory conditions.
Physician Walter Jarvis Barlow founded the Barlow Sanitorium in 1902 after he contracted tuberculosis and relocated to California from New York. The 25-acre plot of land was purchased for $7,300 and included 10 cottages for patients. The prevailing medical advice at the time said fresh air and open space were essential parts of tuberculosis treatment; the medical campus on the border of the city-owned park provided a sunny and warm setting for patients from across the country to rest and recover. Later, Barlow’s Bosworth Hall served uninsured AIDS patients in L.A. County.
Barlow has been recognized as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #504, and a historic resources evaluation in 1992 found the site eligible for listing as a National Register historic district.
Many of the buildings at Barlow are constructed in the Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival styles, setting it apart from other hospitals or medical centers in the area. Despite its quaint appearance, Barlow treats approximately 900 patients per year from L.A. County and from across the region. Barlow is known for its renowned ventilator weaning program, which has been adopted as a standard of excellence for hospitals nationwide. It’s also the only not-for-profit respiratory hospital in California.
The Barlow campus has undergone various expansions and restorations through the years, including the current ReBuild Barlow multi-phase plan, beginning in 2018. This plan includes a seismic retrofit as well as other infrastructure improvements to some of the older buildings. In early 2021, Councilman Gil Cedillo of District 1 sponsored a motion to allow up to $50 million in bonds for upgrades, in addition to the construction of a larger intensive-care unit and demolishing an equipment shed and a 743-square-foot morgue. Moreover, in March, Barlow applied to build a new Skilled Nursing Facility in one of the parking areas.
