Kirkbride Buildings - Historic Insane Asylum Architecture

Massachusetts’ Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) and Department of Mental Health filed paperwork with this month in preparation for tearing down the final remains of the Worcester State Hospital Kirkbride building. It’s been determined that reusing the structure would be too expensive.

The bulk of the building’s remains consists of the Kirkbride’s administration section, and is loosely referred to as “The Clocktower.” However, the actual clock tower is a separate substructure of the admin. It’s been proposed that a compromise between preserving the admin and tearing it down completely would be to keep the clock tower substructure standing while destroying the rest. The tower would remain as a “long needle” with the clock at the top. You can find out a bit more: Group Hopes to Save Clocktower.

It would be sad if that’s all that could be saved, but the phrase “better than nothing” comes to mind. If it happens, I hope the tower will be open to the public. It would be a better memorial if people could interact with it (i.e. go inside, climb to the top, and see the view) rather than just look at it.

The Herald News of Alabama published an article today about the history of Christmas at Bryce Hospital: The History of Christmas Celebrations at Bryce Hospital. Although I’m sure things weren’t quite as rosy as the writer suggests, it’s an accurate series of vignettes revealing some of state hospital life’s more positive aspects. I think it’s safe to say those positive aspects came to the fore during the holiday season at every other Kirkbride hospital in the country too. I get the feeling though that earlier times were more truly festive, and things got less joyful when hospitals became severely overcrowded.

It’s too bad the article doesn’t include any pictures. It’d be nice to see some of the decorations and activities it describes.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Not to be a downer, but don’t forget there are people less fortunate than you, who won’t be spending the holidays at home this year.

The Bryce Hospital Kirkbride will likely become home to a museum once the University of Alabama takes control of the building. You can read about it in the university’s student-run newspaper, The Crimson White: UA Releases New Campus Master Plan. Their article states:

“By terms of the purchase agreement between the Department of Mental Health and the University of Alabama, there is going to be a mental health museum located in the Bryce Hospital building,” [said Darrell Meyer of KPS Group, the architectural firm helping UA with the campus master plan]. “We realized that we don’t have a University history museum. I think we really need one of those.”

In addition to building a University history museum, Meyer also spoke of plans for museums for mental health, natural history, Jones art collection, and special collections.

It’s not very clear the way it’s written, but I’m pretty certain the mental health museum is a sure thing, and the university history and other museums are just possibilities. Hopefully though, the prospect of several museums means it’s more likely the entire building will be preserved. It’d be great to have another fully intact Kirkbride that’s accessible to the general public.

UPDATE: This article: Bryce May Become Cultural Arts Center, adds that the Kirkbride would also house spaces for the performing arts as well as for a museum or museums.

As I may have mentioned before, one of the reasons I don’t blog much anymore is because so often the fate of abandoned Kirkbride buildings is murky for years on end. I’m tired of trying to think up new ways to say “whether the building will be saved is unclear, but things sound hopeful…” Regardless, I thought it worth noting that New Jersey’s Governor Christie has announced a $27 million plan to clean up the former Greystone Park State Hospital site. The plan calls for demolition of many buildings, but also “calls for determining the feasibility of redeveloping the historic Kirkbride Building” according to an article by New Jersey News Room: Gov. Christie Announces Greystone Psychiatric Hospital Demolition for Open Space.

I’m sure $27 million — even if it was entirely for the Kirkbride — won’t go very far in breathing new life into the Greystone Kirkbride. Most of the money will go toward demolishing other buildings and converting the property into open space parkland. But at least wheels are turning in regards to the Kirkbride’s preservation. Hopefully the feasibility study isn’t just a token gesture. It would be great if the building could remain as a point of architectural interest within all that open space. It’d be even better if it could be restored to its former grandeur, but that’s very unlikely I’m sure.

Thought I’d also mention a minor bit of trivia I learned while reading about this: according to an Associated Press article, President Ulysses S. Grant spoke at the opening of Greystone Park.

Every year around Halloween there are stories in the papers about old asylums. And I always find myself grimacing over the inevitable few that invoke the supernatural. Although I can sort of understand the desire to connect asylums to paranormal activity, I think actually doing so cheapens the real history of these places—especially when it’s done just to get something spooky out for Halloween. This year however, I was pleased to find this article: Former Fergus Falls State Hospital Source of Many Legends. It relates a few unusual (but obviously very real) occurrences at Fergus Falls State Hospital as told by Chris Schuelke, executive director of the Otter Tail County Historical Society.

Speaking of Fergus Falls, if you haven’t already, please join the Friends of the Kirkbride group on Facebook to get the latest news about the building and to show your support for its preservation.

Things are looking bleak for the Worcester Kirkbride Clock Tower. Even though the structure avoided demolition when the state razed the rest of the building’s remains just three years ago, its days are now numbered. According to a post on the Save Worcester State Hospital Clock Tower Facebook page, Massachusetts is planning to demolish the building due to a lack of funds or interest in reusing it.

I encourage everyone interested in saving the Clock Tower to read the post, like the Save Worcester State Hospital Clock Tower Facebook page, and to share any thoughts you might have on the subject there.

This may be the shortest post in the history of this blog, but I thought it worth noting that there’s a new article containing more biographical information about the Electric Pencil: Mystery Artist from the Ozarks Identified. The article includes a photo of Edward Deeds. In case you missed it, here’s more information about the Electric Pencil (aka Edward Deeds) from the archives.

South Carolina’s state Budget and Control Board has approved the sale of the former Columbia State Hospital to developer Bob Hughes. You can read about it here: Board OKs Dept. of Mental Health’s Sale of Bull Street Property.

Redevelopment will take several years. There’s not much information on exactly what will be done with the property, and more importantly whether the historic buildings will be saved. The statement that the developer wants to create a “world-class residential and commercial neighborhood that respects the property’s special place in the city’s history” sounds promising, but is a little too vague to make me feel like the Kirkbride is safe from the wrecking ball.

This profile of Bob Hughes makes preservation sound like a possibility, but it certainly doesn’t say it’s a given: Bull Street Developer Led Greenville Revival.

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Tours of the former Fergus Falls State Hospital are set to resume according to a post on the Friends of the Kirkbride Facebook page (check out the group’s photos for some great pictures, including historical images from the hospital). For more information or to reserve a spot on a tour, call Maxine at (+1) 218-736-5328.

I’ve been bad about keeping up with the blog and site in general lately, but even though this is oldish news, it’s worth noting that even though the Kirkbride building at Fergus is still standing, it’s in danger of being demolished. An article in the Fergus Falls Journal last month provides some details: New RTC Plan Could Demolish Part of Kirkbride.

Maine’s WCSH reports that the National Alliance On Mental Illness is recommending that the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center in Bangor be closed. Read the article here:  Advocate for Mentally Ill Recommends Closing Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center. I don’t think this means that the hospital is in any imminent danger of closing, but thought it worth noting — if only to see the continuing debate about hospital versus community care in action.