Will Rogers Memorial Hospital
Will Rogers Memorial Hospital
Will Rogers Memorial Hospital is a historic tuberculosis sanatorium in Saranac Lake, Essex County, New York. It was built in 1928 as the National Vaudeville Lodge by the National Vaudeville Artists Association, which had previously sent patients to the Kennedy Cottage. The building is a three-story, Tudor Revival structure with a steel frame and reinforced concrete, sitting on a raised basement. It features stucco walls with decorative half-timbering, an asymmetrical design, a three-story polygonal tower with a hexagonal roof, and three-story pavilions with recessed sleeping porches. It was named in honor of entertainer Will Rogers in 1936 and provided unconventional tuberculosis treatment to entertainment industry patients from 1936 to 1975.
In the 1950s, New York State demanded upgrades costing more than a million dollars. To avoid the expense, the Will Rogers Institute bought a building downstate outside the Adirondack Park, and more than 100 jobs were lost. The building later opened as a nightclub, but it closed when casino plans failed, then became an apartment house and remained vacant for years, with a brief use as press headquarters for the 1980 Winter Olympics.
After a major renovation, the building now houses Saranac Village at Will Rogers, an independent living facility for seniors. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The Tudor Revival design was by architect William E. Scopes.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:41 (CET).