The Dreux sanatorium, built between 1928 and 1932 under the initiative of Mayor Maurice Viollette, was used for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. At its peak in the 1930s, it could accommodate up to 1,000 patients, mainly children, treated with solariums.
During World War II, the director Gabriel Roche saved Jews by providing them with false medical certificates. After the war, the site gradually became obsolete with advances in medicine. It was used as a retirement home and then a medico-educational institute until 1980, before hosting patients with rare diseases until its closure in 1990.
Purchased by the City of Dreux in 1999, the site became dangerous and several accidents occurred, including a fatal one in 2016, leading to increased security measures. In 2021, the site was fully fenced off, and the first building was converted into the Bas Buissons Maternal Center.
