Our History

For the last century, Breathe PA has been a pioneer in the fight against lung disease. In 1905, the Pittsburgh Sanatorium, known as the "House on the Hill," was opened by the organization in what is now the Hill District. The hospital provided local tuberculosis patients with the only known remedy for the disease at the time - rest and fresh air.

1905: The Pittsburgh Sanitorium Opens

Tuberculosis (TB) is a respiratory illness that spreads through microscopic droplets in the air. By the dawn of the 20th century, TB was a leading cause of death. After losing his wife to TB, steel industry executive Otis H. Childs spearheaded the creation of the Pittsburgh Sanitarium in 1905. Operating out of a Hill District mansion donated by a local businessman, the organization represented the region’s first coordinated response to the TB pandemic. With government resources lacking, the Pittsburgh Sanitarium turned to the private sector for funding. Pittsburgh’s business leaders, including H.J. Heinz, Richard B. Mellon, and Henry Phipps, provided crucial support in the early years of the Pittsburgh Sanitarium. A few years after opening, the organization changed its name to the Tuberculosis League of Pittsburgh.

The Early Years

In its early years, the organization focused on providing rest, exercise, and fresh air to its patients. Reflecting a widespread belief that exposure to cold air was an effective method of treating the illness, the Tuberculosis League established an open-air classroom and sleeping quarters. Photographs from that era show beds in open-fronted shacks with the doors that were closed only in blizzards. Children in the open-air classroom sat at their desks with sleeping bags covering most of their bodies.

1929: X-Ray Equipment Helps Diagnose TB

Though the cold air was an ineffective treatment, isolating TB patients in specialized facilities slowed the spread of the disease within the community. In 1929, the organization replaced the mansion with a purpose-built hospital building, which included space for new x-ray equipment that helped diagnose those with TB.

1940s: The Introduction of Antibiotics

Beginning in the 1940s, a series of antibiotics were developed that proved successful in the treatment of the disease. With these new drugs shortening the recovery time for patients, the Tuberculosis League closed its hospital in 1955. The organization remained active, however, by dispatching mobile X-ray units into neighborhoods where the disease persisted and continuing to test students in schools. The Tuberculosis League also treated other respiratory ailments, such as asthma, bronchitis, and black lung.

Today: Breathe PA

Breathe PA, the organization has gone through several name changes in recent decades, spending time as the Christmas Seal League of Southwestern Pennsylvania, American Lung Association of Western Pennsylvania, and the American Respiratory Alliance of Western Pennsylvania. Breathe PA continues to offer lung health education and direct services to residents across southwestern Pennsylvania.