Joel Burgess
ASHEVILLE – The site of a
historic hospital where Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald,
died in a fire is for sale for $14 million.
Several buildings on the site
of the historic Highland Hospital in the northern Montford neighborhood are currently
on the market, a realtor involved with the sale and online listings said. Among
them are one of the first buildings constructed in Montford and structures used
for the hospital established by Dr. Robert S. Carroll, a distinguished
psychiatrist who treated addictions as well as nervous and mental disorders.
In 1948 a fire broke out in the
main building, killing nine women including Zelda Fitzgerald, according to the
National Park Service, which lists the hospital site as on the National
Register of Historic Places.
"Highland Hospital is most
often associated as the site of Zelda Fitzgerald's death but it was also a
nationally recognized facility led by Dr. Robert Carroll, whose treatment for
'nervous disorders' included occupational and outdoor therapy combined with
good nutrition, which was unusual for its day," said Stacy Merten,
director of historic resources for Asheville and Buncombe County.
Carroll moved the hospital from
its downtown location to the northern Montford area in 1909. The campus included
the yellow Rumbough House, one of the first buildings constructed in Montford,
Merten said.
A prominent gray stone building
on the site, called Homewood, served as the home of Carroll and his wife, Grace
Potter Carroll.
Merten noted Grace Potter Carroll
was a "world-renowned concert pianist," whose music room "was
the musical center of Asheville in the 1930's, attracting famous musicians from
across the country and the world." They included Nina Simone who went on
to become a famous jazz singer.
The central building that
burned in 1948 was not rebuilt, according to those familiar with the site.
Nearby is a plaque to Zelda Fitzgerald with a quote from a letter to her
husband, "I don't need anything except hope, which I can't find by looking
backwards or forwards, so I suppose the thing is to shut my eyes."
A 1920s icon dubbed "the
first American flapper," Zelda Fitzgerald was a writer herself, but is now
largely remembered for her spouse, whose novel, "The Great Gatsby,"
is seen as a seminal American work. Zelda Fitzgerald struggled with alcoholism
and mental disorders much of her life.
After its use as a hospital,
the buildings and land were divided up among owners. In recent years, uses have
included an event entertainment center and office space.
Homewood, a striking grey stone
castle-like building is selling for $2.2 million, according to Debbie Lane, a
realtor with NAI Beverly-Hanks. The building is currently used as an events
venue and is owned by Four H Properties LLC. Lane is also listing several cottages
on nearby land owned by Four H for $2.9 million.
The Rumbough House is selling
for $1.5 million. A red brick building with white columns next to Zelda
Fitzgerald's plaque is on the market for $2.1 million. Both are owned by
Highland Park Limited Liability Co.
A 1940 hospital building
retrofitted into a laboratory facility in 1996 is being sold for $5 million by
Whitney Commercial Real Estate Services.