Help Support The Future Of Gonstead
The Gonstead Clinic of Chiropractic represents the world-renowned Dr. Clarence Gonstead and his specific approach to patient care which revolutionized the chiropractic profession worldwide. Dr. Gonstead’s work continues to this day to advance chiropractic worldwide. His years of success helped fuel the entire economy of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin and the surrounding regions. The Gonstead Clinic stands as a significant, historical landmark not only in Wisconsin but the entire United States. In 2022, The Gonstead Clinic was recognized and designated a historical landmark by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the National Register of Historic Places.
The Gonstead Foundation Board has identified four specific areas where your support can greatly impact the sustainability of this important and unique clinic.
1) Frank Lloyd Wright Style Architecture:
The Gonstead Clinic was built in 1965 by Thomas Steinman & Associates. Mr. Steinman was a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. Built to be an architectural symbol, both the Gonstead Clinic and The Karakahl Hotel (built to accommodate the many patients seeking Dr. Gonstead’s care) were mid-century modern designs with roots in prairie style. It is a 28,000 square foot clinic with four separate large wings of treatment rooms to accommodate up to 4 doctors. The waiting room can seat up to 200 patients with an entire front wall of windows and a large center water fountain. The lower level is designed for the seminars which are taught 4-5 times annually and can accommodate up to 400 students and doctors.
We have incurred many costly renovations over the past several years since the Gonstead Foundation Board took ownership. Our most recent renovation was a complete update of the 6 restrooms at the Clinic, with a cost of $230,000. Our goal was to replicate, to the extent possible, the original design and architectural theme which we accomplished. Since the Gonstead Foundation took over the Clinic ownership several costly renovations have been successfully completed thanks to the generous donations from the chiropractic community and other generous donors. These past renovations include the following:
This exceptional architectural structure, thanks to our generous donors, continues to represent a symbol of the Frank Lloyd Wright timeframe and historical work.
Currently, we are in the process of our landscape renovation project requiring several thousand dollars for completion. This will include a new sprinkler system, parking lot, unique mid-century lamps, front shrubbery, rock and edging.
2) Workforce Enhancement / Economic Development / Ongoing Clinic Operations:
The Gonstead Foundation is unique in that is has an operating Board that is responsible for the ongoing success of the fully operational clinic. Currently, we have two full-time doctors who are committed to this goal. Our Foundation Board members are primarily committed Gonstead chiropractors representing various and diverse backgrounds but have no financial gain linked to the Gonstead Foundation. Our long-term goal is to ultimately have four staff doctors as employees to continue Gonstead chiropractic care in Mount Horeb and the surrounding communities to support the operational costs of the clinic. In turn, this will contribute toward job growth and economic opportunities for the beautiful growing Mt. Horeb Community.
3) Education and Research:
Gonstead Seminars and Gonstead Advanced Technique Seminars (Gonstead Methodology Institute Worldwide, Inc.) were formed as a teaching tool to meet the high demand of chiropractors seeking Dr. Gonstead’s knowledge base. His tireless devotion to teaching transformed the entire chiropractic profession. In fact, many of his patients pursued a chiropractic degree because of their profound health improvements resulting from his unique method of care. Since Dr. Gonstead’s death in 1978, these teaching seminars, now including the Gonstead Clinical Studies Society and others, have continued to provide ongoing seminar instruction to both students and doctors of chiropractic. The need for clinical results is timeless and continues today for those seeking solutions to their health challenges. The Gonstead Clinic is one of the first chiropractic clinics in the world to utilize full spine, plain film technology to study and analyze the body. Gonstead Chiropractic is found and practiced throughout the world, in part, thanks to the teaching and instruction dedication of a core group of highly qualified, committed and disciplined chiropractors, of whom, receive no compensation for their time and expertise.
To continue the high degree of teaching, education and research requires funding to continue the propulsion of chiropractic into the future. Nearly every chiropractic college in the entire world has been educationally influenced by Dr. Clarence Gonstead’s work, evidenced by its clinical curriculum. The Gonstead Foundation has undertaken a recent significant project to provide updated editing to the original instructional book, The Gonstead Chiropractic Science and Art by Roger Herbst. This editing collaboration of committed Gonstead chiropractors is a hefty task requiring private and corporate donors. Additionally, the Foundation has provided weekly mentoring support for both of our chiropractors that has yielded tremendous clinical growth and maturity which we anticipate to continue on a larger scale to younger chiropractors desiring to continue the Gonstead work.
4) Gonstead Historical Significance in the Chiropractic Profession:
The Gonstead Clinic continues to symbolize the contributions of Dr. Gonstead to the chiropractic profession. Dr. Gonstead said, “I did not build this clinic for myself, but for chiropractic.” The clinic has been used exactly as he has envisioned. Multiple chiropractic organizations have utilized the clinic for various events to continue to propel the profession forward. One example is The Association for the History of Chiropractic which will be hosting their 44th Annual Conference at the historic Gonstead Clinic in June 2025.
Once Dr. Gonstead identified the patient’s cause of complaint, he wasted no time correcting it. This has been the mantra of our discipline. To obtain patient results in a timely and efficient manner produces long term corrective change in both structural and functional health long after the recommended course of treatment. This has remained a strong teaching philosophy of the Gonstead System and provides the needed clinical leadership to serve our communities.
As a profession, we need a “home base” that can be looked upon not only as a dedicated clinic of care, teaching and research, but the leadership beacon within the chiropractic profession. The Gonstead Foundation shares a concern to keep the chiropractic profession a unique, yet separate branch of the healing arts and sciences. We have a strong desire with our goals to see this extraordinary system of chiropractic fully implemented within our chiropractic institutions and curriculum.
We are seeking support from individuals, corporations and our chiropractic communities that have been touched in one way or another by the Gonstead System. The Gonstead System of analysis has proven to be a foundation for the chiropractic profession since 1939, when Dr. Gonstead opened his first clinic, and his work continues to deeply impact the world even nearly 50 years after his passing.
We are grateful for your generous donations that will continue this important work at the Gonstead Clinic and within the chiropractic profession. These efforts will help to continue the ongoing educational training of future chiropractic leaders and, most importantly, enable our patients to receive this extraordinary discipline of chiropractic care that remains a separate, yet distinct, branch of the healing arts and sciences.
The CS Gonstead Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. All your donations are tax deductible.
Sincerely,
THE GONSTEAD FOUNDATION BOARD
David Geary, DC
Gonstead Foundation President
