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National Home for Jewish Children in Denver (1928-1952)

 Organization

Biography

The National Asthma Center (NAC) existed under a series of names. It was The National Asthma Center (NAC) (1973-1978) had a series of names: the Denver Sheltering Home for Jewish Children (1907-1927), National Home for Jewish Children in Denver (1928-1952), Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children in Denver (JNHAC) (1953-1956), and the Children's Asthma Research Institute and Hospital (CARIH) (1957-1972). NAC was an independent institution from 1907 until 1978, when it merged with National Jewish Hospital to form the National Jewish Hospital and Research Center/National Asthma Center. The NAC campus in west Denver at 19th and Julian Streets sold in 1981. During the last part of the nineteenth century, Denver, Colorado, became a haven for those suffering from tuberculosis, "the white plague." However, no formal medical treatment facilities existed until the opening of the National Jewish Hospital (NJH) in 1899. Five years later, the Jewish Consumptives' Relief Society (JCRS) began treating patients with advanced cases of tuberculosis. A Denver housewife, Fannie Lorber, became concerned about the plight of Jewish children left homeless by a parent's hospitalization or orphaned by a parent's death at NJH or JCRS. In 1907, she and her friends Bessie Willens and Sadie Francis organized other local East European immigrant women and founded the Denver Sheltering Home. For the next 51 years, Fannie Lorber presided over the volunteer board of the Home and was the driving force behind fundraising efforts. At first, funded entirely by the Denver Jewish Community, the Home's expansion eventually led to a system of fundraising Ladies' Auxiliaries throughout the United States. The Home initially sheltered only orphaned or neglected children of tuberculosis victims, but it soon expanded its mission to help combat delinquency among Denver's Jewish children. An arrangement was made with Judge Ben B. Lindsey to send first offenders to the Home rather than to a detention center. (Judge Lindsey created the Colorado Juvenile Court system.) The Home also began taking in orphaned and needy children from other cities, and by 1920, approximately 100 children were living on the expanded campus. The Home's founders aimed to provide a cultured, stimulating, and Jewish environment for the children that was as close to family life as possible, unlike most orphanages of the period. In 1939 the Home instituted the long-term residential treatment of children with intractable asthma. In the 1950s, medical, psychiatric, and research personnel were added to treat children with asthma and allergies. In 1951, Dr. Allan Hurst became the first full-time medical director, and Jack Gershtenson became the administrator, a position he held for nearly thirty years. The Home officially became a non-sectarian in 1953. Dr. Murray Pershkin, chief consultant to the home from 1940 until 1959, advocated '"parentectomy,"' the removal of the child from his or her home for up to two years. In 1957, the Children's Asthma Research Institute and Hospital was created. At the time, it was the only research facility in the country dedicated to asthma and allergic diseases. In 1966, Drs. Kimishige and Taruko Ishizaka, a husband and wife research team at CARIH, discovered immunoglobin E, the physiological basis for asthma. In 1972, CARIH became the National Asthma Center. By the 1970s, National Jewish Hospital had gone from treating tuberculosis to treating a broader range of respiratory diseases, including asthma. It was decided in 1978 that a merger of the two institutions would be beneficial. Patients remained at the NAC campus until 1981, when it was closed. Fannie Lorber was president from 1907 to 1958, Arthur Lorber was president from 1958 to 1975, and Charles M. Schayer was president from 1975 to 1978.

Found in 55 Collections and/or Records:

Children of the National Asthma Center Playing Basketball, between 1970-1980

 Item
Identifier: B089.12.0020.0009.00002
Abstract Two unidentified children from the National Asthma Center playing basketball. The National Asthma Center's history began in 1907 as the Denver Sheltering Home for Jewish Children, which was a refuge for lower-income children whose parents were being treated for tuberculosis, or had passed away from tuberculosis. In 1928 the institution changed names to the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver. In 1953, the name changed to the Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children at Denver and...
Dates: between 1970-1980

Children Perform at the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver, between 1930-1952

 Item
Identifier: B063.03.0011.00079
Abstract

Sarah Klein (right) and Mildren Seidenberg (left) rehearse for a show at the National Home for Jewish Children at Denver, located in Denver, Colorado. The play (probably Hansel and Gretal) was presented at East High School in Denver and was open to the entire community.

Dates: between 1930-1952

Children Play in a Fountain at the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver, 1942 July

 Item
Identifier: B089.12.0020.0027.00001
Abstract A group of boys and girls play in a fountain at the National Home for Jewish Children at Denver. The National Home for Jewish Children at Denver began in 1907 as the Denver Sheltering Home for Jewish Children, which was a refuge for lower-income children whose parents were being treated for tuberculosis, or had died from tuberculosis. In 1928 the institution changed names to the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver. In 1953, the name changed to the Jewish National Home for Asthmatic...
Dates: 1942 July

Children playing on swings at the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver, 1936

 Item
Identifier: B089.12.0020.0025.00003
Abstract William R. Blumenthal, fundraiser, stands (at left) with 37 children on the playground of the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver near 19th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard in Denver, Colorado. Children pictured include Dan Justman, Sara Appel, Fred Vean, Fanny Barret, Doris Greenstein, Joey Barret, Mildred Vean, Rachel Passman, and Benny Passman. Originally founded as the Denver Sheltering Home for Jewish Children in 1907, the home was established for the children of Jewish...
Dates: 1936

Children Playing Outside at the National Asthma Center, between 1973-1985

 Item
Identifier: B089.12.0020.0006.00002
Abstract Bobby Allison is chased by Brian Webster at the National Asthma Center. The National Asthma Center's history began in 1907 as the Denver Sheltering Home for Jewish Children, which was a refuge for lower-income children whose parents were being treated for tuberculosis, or had passed away from tuberculosis. In 1928 the institution changed names to the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver. In 1953, the name changed to the Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children at Denver and the...
Dates: between 1973-1985

Children Using Nebulizers at the Children's Asthma Research Institute and Hospital, between 1957-1973

 Item
Identifier: B089.12.0020.0004.00001
Abstract A group of children using bronchodilator nebulizers for the treatment of asthma at the Children's Asthma Research Institute and Hospital. The National Asthma Center's history began in 1907 as the Denver Sheltering Home for Jewish Children, which was a refuge for lower-income children whose parents were being treated for tuberculosis, or had passed away from tuberculosis. In 1928 the institution changed names to the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver. In 1953, the name changed to...
Dates: between 1957-1973

Chris Younger Lays on a Pile of Pillows at the National Asthma Center, between 1973-1985

 Item
Identifier: B089.12.0020.0006.00001
Abstract Chris Younger, a patient at the National Asthma Center, lays on a pile of pillows. The National Asthma Center's history began in 1907 as the Denver Sheltering Home for Jewish Children, which was a refuge for lower-income children whose parents were being treated for tuberculosis, or had passed away from tuberculosis. In 1928 the institution changed names to the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver. In 1953, the name changed to the Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children at Denver...
Dates: between 1973-1985

Cindy Roberts at the National Asthma Center, between 1973-1985

 Item
Identifier: B089.12.0020.0006.00005
Abstract Cindy Roberts, a patient at the National Asthma Center. The National Asthma Center's history began in 1907 as the Denver Sheltering Home for Jewish Children, which was a refuge for lower-income children whose parents were being treated for tuberculosis, or had passed away from tuberculosis. In 1928 the institution changed names to the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver. In 1953, the name changed to the Jewish National Home for Asthmatic Children at Denver and the institution became...
Dates: between 1973-1985

Dance Recital at the National Home for Jewish Children in Denver, between 1930-1952

 Item
Identifier: B063.03.0011.00070
Abstract

A group of unidentified young girls participate in a dance recital at the National Home for Jewish Children at Denver, which later became part of the National Jewish Hospital.

Dates: between 1930-1952

Exterior of the first National Jewish Hospital building (The Frances Jacobs Hospital), circa 1895

 Item
Identifier: B063.03.0035.00106
Abstract

Exterior shot features a sign over the top front porch, which reads, "The Frances Jacobs Hospital". The name was changed to National Jewish Hospital in 1899. Two men (unidentified) stand in front of the building.

Dates: circa 1895

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Group homes for children 53
Children 45
Asthmatics 36
Denver (Colo.) 35
Jewish children 34