The McHenry Restorium

In 1927, during McHenry’s days as a resort town, farmer and entrepreneur Myron Detrick proposed the idea of building a restorium in McHenry. Restoriums, sometimes referred to as sanitoriums, were places that people could go, as the name recommends, to rest or seek an assortment medical treatments. Detrick who owned part of the Hanley property, set up 55 acres to be used for the building. The hope was to have McHenry have one of the largest, most respectable health resorts in the country. The cost of the building was going to be a staggering $200,000. However, for the cost, given the plans the Detrick had for the building, the cost seemed justified. Initially, the structure was to measure 220×100. It had two wings, each wing was designed to eventually be expanded if desired. At first, the capacity was to be for 150, then it was increased to 200 people. Construction was doing well in McHenry and the surrounding area, so the McHenry Restorium hoped to be another success.

The basement was to be used for bathing and other water therapies. The main floor would have a ballroom, kitchen, dining room, and lounge. Many of the rooms on the main floor would be open to the public during social events. The upper floors would have a sleeping area and the roof solarium or a place for sunbathing. Also, featured were rooms for major and dental surgery. Given McHenry didn’t have a hospital of its own at the time, having medical facilities like this would be very beneficial. This wouldn’t just be a spa, these would be medical treatments, prescribed by professional staff.

By September 1927, over $28,000 had been put into the project and the foundation for the building was being laid by A.P. Freund. During that month, investors made a pitch for the project at Nielsen’s Café. Partially from Chicago, the group hoped to recruit pledges from locals as well as Chicago resort-goers. Many felt this would further enhance McHenry’s reputation as a resort community. The investors included many different institutions from the Chicagoland area. They included doctors and professors from St. Luke’s Hospital, St. Anthony’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Loyola University, and even a surgeon from the Chicago North Western Railroad. However, the group did feature local medical personnel as well such as Dr. D.G. Wells, A.I. Froelich, and Dr. Rollo Chamberlain, one of McHenry’s dentists.

In October 1927, it was reported that the foundation was being quickly completed. The Avery Brundage Construction Firm, a contracting group from Chicago was doing the work, and the stone for the foundation was supplied by the McHenry Artificial Stone Company. The public’s response was solid and things were looking promising. Also, people were contacting the restorium leadership to see when they would be able to sign up for treatment. People were also looking forward to the new building as it would be able to provide some new jobs, not just for the construction of the building, but also when it would be a functional medical facility. In December, construction was still going and walls were even going to have a specially designed concrete block for the exterior.

Construction was hoped to be finished soon enough to open in the spring of 1928. Yet, it was not to be. There wasn’t any news about any new construction at all in 1928. By July 1929, the site’s fifty-two acres were sold at auction by the County Sheriff. A W.D. Brooks of Wauconda won the auction for $2025. It was reported that Mr. Marshall, a Chicago businessman, who was in charge of the money, mismanaged funds causing the project to fail. It’s interesting to think what an establishment like the Restorium could have done for McHenry, possibly making it one of the most sought over locations in the area.

Sources

• “McHenry To Have New Restorium” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 27 Aug 1927, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 17 Dec 2024.
• “$500,000 Restorium To Be In McHenry” The Herald. (Crystal Lake, IL) 1 Sep 1927, 1, 6. Newspapers.com. Web. 17 Dec 2024.
• “Work To Start On Restorium” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 22 Sep 1927, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 17 Dec 2024.
• “Excavation Work On Restorium at McHenry Started” The Herald. (Crystal Lake, IL) 29 Sep 1927, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 17 Dec 2024.
• “Weather Delays Excavating Work” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 29 Sep 1927, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 17 Dec 2024.
• “Workmen Busy At Restorium” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 6 Oct 1927, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 17 Dec 2024.
• “Restorium Site One of Activity” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 13 Oct 1927, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 17 Dec 2024.
• “Work Progresses on McHenry Restorium” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 8 Dec 1927, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 17 Dec 2024.
• “Restorium Land Sold By Sheriff” The McHenry Plaindealer. (McHenry, IL) 25 Jul 1929, 1. Newspapers.com. Web. 17 Dec 2024.