With the outbreak of World War II, local builder Floyd Skidmore proposed that the near-vacant sanitarium be converted into a military hospital.
Upon this recommendation, in August 1942, the United States Army bought the buildings for $2.25 million and FJ Skidmore & Son rebuilt the derelict structure in six months (working around the clock), enlarging the capacity of the hospital from 1,000 beds to 1,500, and constructing rails and ramps throughout the facility.

On Feb. 22, 1943, the hospital was officially dedicated by its first commander, Colonel Norman T. Kirk.
He was the former chief of surgical services at Walter Reed General Hospital in Washington, D.C. The new hospital was named after Colonel Percy L. Jones, US Army, a pioneering military surgeon who developed modern battlefield ambulance evacuation.

The hospital grew as the flow of casualties increased.
In 1944, W.K. Kellogg donated his mansion on nearby Gull Lake to the Army, which assigned it to Percy Jones as a convalescent center.
The Fort Custer Reception Center was also used by Percy Jones for patients on “casual duty.”
The Percy Jones hospital complex was massive, self-contained, and fully integrated.
It had its own water supply and power generation.
It also had its own bank, post office, public library and radio station "KPJ".
The Percy Jones Institute was an accredited high school, with dozens of educational and training programs for patients ranging from photography to business to agriculture.

At the height of the war, more than two thousand people visited the hospital on a daily basis, including celebrities such as Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Ed Sullivan, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers.

In 1945, Percy Jones became the largest medical installation of any kind in the world.
Following V-J Day (victory over Japan) in 1945, the hospital population peaked with 11,427 patients assigned to its three area sites.
Percy Jones specialized as an Army center for neurosurgery, amputations and handicapped rehabilitation, deep x-ray therapy and plastic artificial eyes.
In one month alone, 729 operations were performed.

After a short deactivation period, the hospital reopened only a few days after hostilities broke out in Korea in the summer of 1950.
In 1951, about 1,000 patients were at Percy Jones, many of them with frostbite caused by the bone-chilling Korean weather.
In 1954, after treating more than 100,000 patients, the Percy Jones Hospital was permanently closed and the building was placed under the control of the General Services Administration.

In the decade it was open, the hospital made a lasting impact on the city.
Battle Creek was the first city in America to install wheelchair ramps in its sidewalks, to accommodate the Percy Jones patients when they visited downtown.
With the outbreak of World War II, local builder Floyd Skidmore proposed that the near-vacant sanitarium be converted into a military hospital. Upon this recommendation, in August 1942, the United States Army bought the buildings for $2.25 million and FJ Skidmore & Son rebuilt the derelict structure in six months (working around the clock), enlarging the capacity of the hospital from 1,000 beds to 1,500, and constructing rails and ramps throughout the facility.
On Feb. 22, 1943, the hospital was officially dedicated by its first commander, Colonel Norman T. Kirk. He was the former chief of surgical services at Walter Reed General Hospital in Washington, D.C. The new hospital was named after Colonel Percy L. Jones, US Army, a pioneering military surgeon who developed modern battlefield ambulance evacuation.
The hospital grew as the flow of casualties increased. In 1944, W.K. Kellogg donated his mansion on nearby Gull Lake to the Army, which assigned it to Percy Jones as a convalescent center. The Fort Custer Reception Center was also used by Percy Jones for patients on “casual duty.” The Percy Jones hospital complex was massive, self-contained, and fully integrated. It had its own water supply and power generation. It also had its own bank, post office, public library and radio station "KPJ". The Percy Jones Institute was an accredited high school, with dozens of educational and training programs for patients ranging from photography to business to agriculture.
At the height of the war, more than two thousand people visited the hospital on a daily basis, including celebrities such as Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Ed Sullivan, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers.
In 1945, Percy Jones became the largest medical installation of any kind in the world. Following V-J Day (victory over Japan) in 1945, the hospital population peaked with 11,427 patients assigned to its three area sites. Percy Jones specialized as an Army center for neurosurgery, amputations and handicapped rehabilitation, deep x-ray therapy and plastic artificial eyes. In one month alone, 729 operations were performed.
After a short deactivation period, the hospital reopened only a few days after hostilities broke out in Korea in the summer of 1950. In 1951, about 1,000 patients were at Percy Jones, many of them with frostbite caused by the bone-chilling Korean weather. In 1954, after treating more than 100,000 patients, the Percy Jones Hospital was permanently closed and the building was placed under the control of the General Services Administration.
In the decade it was open, the hospital made a lasting impact on the city. Battle Creek was the first city in America to install wheelchair ramps in its sidewalks, to accommodate the Percy Jones patients when they visited downtown.
Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center