Last updated on February 19, 2026
Edwin Shaw Hospital, formerly known as Springfield Lake Sanatorium, was a sanitarium and later a rehabilitation hospital located in Lakemore, Ohio.
Edwin Shaw Hospital, formerly known as Springfield Lake Sanatorium, was a sanitarium and later a rehabilitation hospital located in Lakemore, Ohio.
Springfield Lake Sanatorium
Springfield Lake Sanatorium was established to treat patients suffering from tuberculosis—also known as consumption or the “White Plague”—a contagious disease spread through coughs and sneezes. 3 6 In 1908, the Ohio state legislature enacted a law prohibiting the admission of tuberculosis patients to general hospitals for fear of infecting other patients. 2 Each county was therefore required to provide separate facilities for their care.
In response, commissioners from Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, and Summit counties purchased a 100-acre tract in southeastern Summit County in 1910 to construct a tuberculosis sanatorium. The five counties reported a combined 5,000 tuberculosis cases at the time, underscoring the immediate need. 3 The site overlooked Springfield Lake. Albert L. Thayer of New Castle, Pennsylvania, designed the hospital, and Robert H. Evans & Company of Columbus, Ohio, erected the $225,000 facility in 1913. It opened in February 1915 with 72 beds, along with a powerhouse, water tower, and sewage treatment plant. 2
The hospital included an operating room, treatment room, dental clinic, and sunrooms. 3 Five nurses were on duty at any given time. Despite these modern facilities, the mortality rate for incoming patients exceeded 65 percent. Summit County pressed for improvements, creating tension among the participating counties. In 1919, Summit County voters approved a $300,000 measure enabling the county to purchase the interests of Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, and Stark counties, thereby assuming full control. 2 3
In 1922, Akron architects Good and Wagner prepared plans for the $50,000 Sunshine Cottage, 4 an annex intended for pediatric patients. 5 Constructed by the Clemmer & Johnson Company, the building ultimately opened at a cost of $125,586. 6 It featured 100 beds, a dining room, a kitchen, a classroom, a library, and a clinic. Murals depicting scenes from Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Treasure Island adorned the interior. Children at Sunshine Cottage followed a regimented schedule that included 14 hours of rest, four hours of education, and one hour of recreation daily. Wide porches allowed outdoor sleeping for much of the year; in winter, children filled jugs with hot water and slept beside them under heavy blankets for warmth.
Edwin Shaw Sanatorium
In 1934, the Springfield Lake Sanatorium was renamed the Edwin Shaw Sanatorium in honor of Edwin Coupland Shaw, a B.F. Goodrich executive who had joined the Board of Trustees in 1918. 2 6 By the mid-20th century, advances in public health and medical treatment began reducing tuberculosis rates and patient intake. Surgical procedures, including collapsing an infected lung to “rest” it, were employed to promote healing. The introduction of the antibiotic streptomycin in 1946 marked a turning point in effective treatment. Legislation passed in 1959 permitted tuberculosis hospitals to admit patients with other medical diagnoses.
The Sunshine Cottage closed in June 1943 after its final ten patients were discharged, reflecting the growing availability of home treatments and outpatient services. 3 6 In 1947, the building was repurposed as a satellite campus for the Summit County Children’s Home, which later closed. 2 3 In 1965, the former cottage reopened as the Sunshine Center, housing 100 destitute children. 6 It became Andersen Village in 1977 but closed in 1985 after its last three residents were placed in foster homes.
The institution evolved in response to changing medical needs. A skilled nursing program was added in 1961. 2 In 1967, the facility was renamed Edwin Shaw Hospital and transitioned into a rehabilitation center for patients recovering from medical conditions. 6 An alcoholism treatment program began in 1974, followed by the opening of a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation unit in 1977 and an Adolescent Chemical Dependency Treatment Program in 1981. In 1985, the Summit Regional Treatment Center relocated from downtown Akron to Edwin Shaw, and the Andersen Village cottages reopened. 10
A $6.7 million expansion opened on December 2, 1986, establishing Edwin Shaw as Ohio’s largest center for treating head-injury patients. 11 The two-story, 26-bed addition allowed the hospital to admit comatose patients and expanded occupational, physical, and speech therapy programs. Funded by a 0.4-mil tax levy approved in 1982, the expansion increased capacity from 160 beds and marked the final phase of a ten-year inpatient development plan.
The Adolescent Chemical Dependency Diagnostic Unit opened in 1990, followed in 1991 by the Women’s Residential Program, a halfway house for cocaine-addicted pregnant women. 2 That same period saw the opening of the Challenge Golf Course and Driving Range, the first course in the world specifically designed for persons with disabilities.
In 1997, the facility was renamed the Edwin Shaw Hospital for Rehabilitation to reflect its broader services. 2 The 47-bed complex was leased by Akron General Medical Center in 2005 and renamed Edwin Shaw Rehab. 9 Akron General paid $1.35 million to purchase the business, though not the facilities or grounds, and proposed constructing a new 80,000-square-foot building on its main campus. However, the aging facility required $1.5 million annually for upkeep and $50,000 per month in utility costs. In 2007, Edwin Shaw reported a deficit of $3.5 million. 8
Closure
On December 3, 2009, inpatient services relocated to the ground floor of the Falls Village Retirement Community in Cuyahoga Falls and were renamed the Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation Institute. 3 8 The new 40-bed facility was less costly to operate and provided most patients with private rooms. Of 271 full-time employees, approximately 115 were offered positions at the new location. 9
Falls Village closed its 36-bed assisted living unit to accommodate Edwin Shaw while retaining 108 beds on the upper floors. 8 The structure, formerly Fallsview Psychiatric Hospital, was acquired by Falls Village in 1999 and opened as a nursing home in 2001. Outpatient services moved to a rented space on Canton Road in Lakemore, and the chemical dependency unit relocated to Cuyahoga Falls.
In December 2010, Summit County officials approached the University of Akron regarding the potential use of the former hospital campus as a Training Center for Fire and Hazardous Materials. 7 The proposed facility would have included a driver-training track, active burn areas, an underground shooting range, and a hazardous materials handling school. The county had been attempting to sell the property after Akron General vacated the campus, as maintenance costs totaled $250,000 annually, with an additional $150,000 required for winter heating. 13
After failing to secure a buyer, the county disconnected utilities in March 2012. 13 The Edwin Shaw complex was demolished in 2017.
Gallery
Sources
- Armon, Rick. “Wrecking Ball Looms for Former Edwin Shaw Property.” Beacon Journal [Akron]. 10 Jan. 2016. Web.
- “A History of Excellence.” Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation. Cleveland Clinic Akron General. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.
- Price, Mark J. “Springfield Lake Sanitarium.” Lost Akron. N.p.: Arcadia, 2015. 121-24. Print.
- “News of the Sanatoria.” Journal of the Outdoor Life 19: 280. Print.
- “To Enlarge Sanatorium.” The Modern Hospital 19.2: 80. Print.
- Price, Mark J. “Local history: Elusive cure is breath of fresh air at Sunshine Cottage.” Beacon Journal [Akron]. 27 Jan. 2013. Web. Article.
- Armon, Rick. “UA EYES EDWIN SHAW FOR FIRE TRAINING CENTER – TALKS PRELIMINARY, BUT COUNTY LOOKING FOR A BUYER.” Akron Beacon Journal (OH) 10 Dec. 2010, 1 STAR, B: B1. NewsBank. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.
- Powell, Cheryl. “REHAB FACILITY READY FOR MOVE – AKRON GENERAL’S EDWIN SHAW TO RENT FLOOR AT FALLS NURSING HOME.” Akron Beacon Journal (OH) 1 Dec. 2009, 1 STAR, B: B6. NewsBank. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.
- Powell, Cheryl. “EDWIN SHAW PLANS MOVE TO FALLS SITE – REHABILITATION SERVICES TO LEAVE LAKEMORE BY OCT. IN PLAN TO IMPROVE PATIENT FACILITIES.” Akron Beacon Journal (OH) 29 Jul. 2009, 1 STAR, A: A1. NewsBank. Web. 27 Jan. 2016.
- Badillo, Francisco. “EDWIN SHAW DETOXIFICATION PROGRAM FUNDED.” Akron Beacon Journal (OH) 10 Sep. 1985, 1 STAR, METRO: B1. NewsBank. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
- “NEW HELP AT EDWIN SHAW.” Akron Beacon Journal (OH) 10 Dec. 1986, FINAL, EDITORIAL: A6. NewsBank. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
- Smith, Randolph. “NEW HOPE FOR SEVERELY DISABLED EDWIN SHAW OPENS REHABILITATION WING.” Akron Beacon Journal (OH) 3 Dec. 1986, FINAL, METRO: D1. NewsBank. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
- Armon, Rick. “COUNTY SHUTTERS FORMER MEDICAL COMPLEX – COSTS OF MAINTENANCE AT EDWIN SHAW ARE CUT BY BOARDING FACILITY UP.” Akron Beacon Journal (OH) 27 Mar. 2012, 1 STAR, A: A1. NewsBank. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
My sister and I (both late teens) were guests (so to speak) of Edwin Shaw from January 1970 thru July 1970. Men and women were on separate floors, women on the 2nd and men on the 3rd. There were three hours of visiting a week for family and friends; Sunday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon and Thursday evening. My sister and I were allowed to visit one or two hours a week also, otherwise no mingling of the male and female patients.
Most rooms held two patients except for minors, we had our own room by ourselves. The rooms had steam heat, we turned the valve to make it hotter or cooler in cold weather, large windows sufficed for letting in air in hot weather.
They never identified who we got the disease from but our TB turned out to be drug resistant, the disease getting worse the first 3 months (a shot in my then skinny butt once a day). At that point they switched our treatment to INH (I believe) and the disease responded. There were a few of the older guests that needed alcohol for additional medicinal purposes; they would trip the breaker for the alarm switch on the fire stairwell doors, sneak out and slip down to Springfield Lake to one of the local bars. Food was fairly good although the crows ate well on the day they served egg-salad sandwiches for lunch. At least I unwrapped mine!
Thank you Sandy! We actually found it today. We took the road all the way back past that new Tyler’s Redemption building. It’s beautiful back there!
Sandy, since you worked there, I’m curious….in pictures of residents and staff that I’ve seen on the web, I’ve noticed that masks were not worn. Were masks not a “thing” back then?
I worked at Edwin Shaw in 1988 to 1990 as a documentary nurse and Chaplain. It was Wonderful place to be! Dan Church was the CEO and one of the greatest man I have ever known! The demolition of Edwin Shaw is a sad loss to many of us who knew the services it gave to so many!
do you know where the cemetary is located on the property ?
I was blessed to have a tour during nursing school clinicals in what was then the new addition. In 2008 the instructors took us through the closed area telling us the history of the tuberculosis hospital, cemetary, and children’s areas. Very sad it’s gone . Very sad history. Thankyou for this article. I am very privileged to have the memory.
My grandpa worked in the powerhouse at Edwin Shaw. He retired about 1969 or 1970. Also, there was a boy I went to school with who’s dad died at Edwin Shaw from tuberculosis in the late 1960’s.
do you know where the cemetary is located on the property ?
There will never be a place like Edwin Shaw was, I started working there in the seventies in my teens until I retired more than 30 years later. Probably due to the size of the facility and the times, people were not just coworkers but friends and like family. Thank you for the pictures posted of it and such a great history to read of it.
My Great Aunt was there for 11 months during 1944
I had a great uncle here when it was Springfield Lake Sanatorium in 1919. Do you still have records there, or are there any records to be had? Thank you
Dee Kieffaber
Dee – I have a relative that died of Tuberculosis in Aug 1918 at the sanatorium. I would also like further information. A Wikipedia article mentions that there is a cemetery there with 246 graves. I would like to know if she is buried there.
https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2118989/edwin-shaw-sanitarium-cemetery I know when I worked there in the 1990’s a young man working on becoming an Eagle Scout accomplished quite an impressive cemetery clean-up. I’m pretty sure they maintained the burial records in the main office — I worked in medical records, and I know we didn’t maintain anything for the cemetery. I didn’t know it existed until the Eagle Scout project.
Do you know the exact location of the cemetery? It’s so overgrown It’s hard to find. Ty.
I visited that cemetery twice when I worked there. There used to be a wrought Iron fence around it and a large statue of an angel in the middle. If you are on the main road facing where the hospital would have been the cemetery was on the far right corner of the property. If any part of the main drive way is still there you would go as far back as possible and it would be off to the far right. I wonder if there are satellite images from before the hospital closed?
I had moved on by the time they closed, but I can tell you we microfilmed records when I worked there. If Akron General bought Edwin Shaw, my best guess is they might have them. If Edwin Shaw was a teaching hospital (sorry, I don’t remember) medical records would have to be maintained for 75 years post discharge; 10 years if not a teaching hospital.
You might try looking for records here: County officials have also released records from the old sanitarium, publicly available on FamilySearch.org.
Now we are Cleveland clinic rehabilitation hospital with Select medical. No signs of Edwin Shaw except on the outside of the building, very small. Nowhere inside does it say Edwin Shaw, all of the historic pics of the old building, are in locked hallways for only employees to see, not families of patients coming. They are trying to keep Edwin Shaw as a name, but, the care has definitely changed.
We now have a lot more patient to nurse ratio with rehabilitation aides instead of nurse care. The patients have noticed, the nurses have noticed, but It is all about modern nursing. The patients still get the great rehabilitation that Edwin Shaw in noted for but not the nursing care. Sad, but everything must change, right? Still as a nurse at Edwin Shaw, Cleveland Clinic, select medical, I still give it all I’ve got to make the patient feel a priority as much as I can possibly give, given the new standards of care.