Rockhaven Sanitarium Historic District

The Rockhaven Sanitarium Historic District is located in the Crescenta Valley at 2713 Honolulu Avenue in what is now the City of Glendale, California, United States.

[2] At the start of the 20th century the sanatorium movement was spreading around the world and focused on allowing fresh air to flow, and giving room for patients to get exposure to the sun.

It reflects the vision of founder Agnes Richards, R.N., and represents a small, yet significant movement that sought to improve the conditions of mentally ill women in the early twentieth century.

[4] Agnes Traviss Richards, a registered nurse, was inspired to found her own institution when she became discouraged by the way women with mental illness were treated by large, state-run facilities.

Richards acquired the five Craftsman-style buildings over time and she hired Prescott and Brothers to design the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style structures which were popular in Southern California in the 1920s and 1930s.

Baker was reported to have escaped from the sanitarium several times; a year after Monroe's death, she received press attention for having walked 15 miles to the Lakeview Terrace Baptist Church.

[13] Josephine Dillon, famed acting teacher and married at one time to Clark Gable, died at Rockhaven on November 11, 1971, where she had been lovingly cared for during a long illness.

Mary Florence Cecilia (Babe) Egan, was the leader of the all-female band The Hollywood Redheads that played throughout the United States, Canada and Europe in the mid-1920s.

"[24][25] The city of Glendale spent $8 Million to buy the Rockhaven Sanitarium which was then repurchased by California State Senator Anthony Portantino to preserve its historic legacy.

[1][10] Friends of Rockhaven focuses are on the sustainability of the sanitarium allowing it to be open for education to the public alongside organizational development through the fundraising, communication and online presence.