Belgum Sanitarium

The Belgum Sanitarium, also called the Grande Vista Sanitarium, was an opulent health resort established by Hendrick Nelsen Belgum in 1914 to treat "nervous disorders"[1] at 7010 Park Avenue in the East Richmond foothills of Northern California.[2][3]

Belgum Sanitarium
Ruins of Belgum Sanitarium in 2021
Geography
LocationWildcat Canyon Regional Park, Richmond, California, United States
Coordinates37.9497096°N 122.3079052°W / 37.9497096; -122.3079052
History
Opened1915
Closed1963
Demolished1965
Links
ListsHospitals in California

A brochure for the institution read: "To insure our guests an abundance of fresh, wholesome, nourishing food, so essential to the restoration of health, a select purebred dairy is maintained, also a poultry plan, an apiary, a fruit orchard, vegetable gardens, conservatories, private spring water system, etc.”[2]

Originally the Mintzer family estate, on its 28 acres of land there was a laundry, a stable, and a school house, as well as electrical, pumping, and irrigation plants. In 1915 the Richmond Daily Independent reported that in "variety of shrubbery and general scenic beauty it far surpassed any residence of the county".[4]

Belgum died of a heart attack on November 8, 1948 while defending the property against a brush fire.[3] Afterwards his family continued to run the facility, closing it in the mid-1960's.[5] The building was abandoned in 1963 and destroyed by arson in 1965.[6]

A collection of Belgum's correspondence and documents was donated by the Richmond Museum of History to the UCSF Library in 2013.[7][8]

Today the land is part of the Wildcat Canyon Regional Park and the former site can be found by hiking on the Belgum trail.[5] As of 2021, the foundation, stubs of former stone walls, and a few fruit trees and palm trees are all that remain.[9]

References
  1. "H N Belgum - Grande Vista Sanitorium 1918". Oakland Tribune. 1918-06-26. p. 15. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  2. "The Sanitarium in the Palm Grove | Oakland Museum of California". museumca.org. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  3. "Dr. H. N. Belgum funeral services_11 Nov 1948". Oakland Tribune. 1948-11-11. p. 43. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  4. "27 Mar 1915, 1 - Richmond Daily Independent at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  5. Keraghosian, Greg (2018-02-08). "Unusual manmade landmarks on Bay Area hiking trails that you don't want to miss". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  6. "28 Jul 1964, 8 - Oakland Tribune at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  7. "Grande Vista Sanatorium collection, 1922-1938".
  8. Cole, Susan D (1980). Richmond - Windows to the Past. Wildcat Canyon Books. ISBN 9780936034003.
  9. "EBRPD - Wildcat Canyon". www.ebparks.org. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
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