Closer: Northern End

1959, looking southwest from the intersection of Oakland Drive and Oliver Street: There were six major structures north of the Female Department, which is in the upper left corner of this photograph. Immediately next to the Female Department is Monroe Cottage. At 10 o'clock is Potter Cottage. At the center is Van Deusen Hospital. Below that is the H-shaped Linda Richards Nursing Hospital (still standing). Toward the lower right corner, at the intersection of Oakland and Oliver, is Montague House (still standing). On the upper right side is the Herman Ostrander Building. (Courtesy Western Michigan University Archives & Regional History Collections)


1950s vertical aerial view: At bottom, Oakland Drive. At center, Van Deusen Hospital. Clockwise from upper left: Monroe Cottage, the greenhouse, Herman Ostrander Building, the H-shaped Linda Richards Hospital, and Potter Cottage left of center. The gatehouse cottage (still standing) is in the lower left corner.


2012 satellite view, looking northwest, turned to match the orientation of the two photos above. To compare with other photographs, use the H-shaped Linda Richards Nursing Hospital. I place Monroe cottage in the area directly to right of the WMU College of Health and Human Services building, partially visible on the left (in the green patch/oval driveway area). Long story short, it's all parking lots and roads now.


1957: The back of the north end, looking northeast, reversing the view of the 1959 photo above. The vantage point is approximately over Stadium Drive, south of Oliver Street. Clockwise from center top: Linda Richards Nursing Hospital, Van Deusen Hospital, the roof of Potter Cottage, Monroe Cottage, the greenhouse, Herman Ostrander Building. (Courtesy Western Michigan University Archives & Regional History Collections)


1984: The back of the north end, looking east. This photo shows the relationship of the three largest buildings to the intersection of Stadium Drive and Oliver Street. In the zoomed photo, the Herman Ostrander Building is almost completely hidden by trees halfway up the left side, with half of Linda Richards Nursing Hospital directly above it. The red brick and white back of Van Deusen Hospital is at the left. (Courtesy Western Michigan University Archives & Regional History Collections)


Circa 1930 aerial view looking north, showing the three largest buildings on the north end.

Potter Cottage (1898-1975)

The east-facing front and north end of Potter Cottage. The Female Department is visible on the left and Monroe Cottage on the right. (Scanned from "The Siggins Album," courtesy of the Local History Room of The Kalamazoo Public Library.)

The front, straight on. Monroe Cottage visible behind and to the left.


The south side of Potter Cottage. (From "Images of America: Kalamazoo, Michigan" (Arcadia Pub., 2002))


Two views scanned from "Picturesque Kalamazoo" (E.E. Labadie; printed by Kalamazoo Publishing Company, 1909)).


1959 aerial view: The Female Department and Monroe cottage at the top, Van Deusen Hospital at the lower right. (Courtesy Western Michigan University Archives & Regional History Collections)