Kirkbride Buildings - Historic Insane Asylum Architecture

If you’ve been following Danvers State Hospital news for a few years you’ll probably remember that John Archer is building a DSH inspired addition to his home. A couple weeks ago, John Gray sent me the above photo of the addition. Obviously it’s not finished yet, but it’s getting there.

Mr. Archer probably did as much (if not lots more) than anyone in the fight to preserve the Danvers Kirkbride in its entirety. And even though I have to admit I’m a little disappointed in how the addition looks, it’s great to see that he’s following through in creating this tribute to the Kirkbride. I guess I imagined something more along the lines of a direct copy of one of the Kirkbride’s wing sections, but such a large and exact reproduction would have been way too expensive I’m sure. There’s also the fact that the addition had to harmonize at least a little with Mr. Archer’s existing house. (more…)

This week, Danvers Youth Theatre will be performing The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a twist: the action takes place at Danvers State Hospital instead of Frankenfurter’s castle. You can read about it here: Local ‘Rocky Horror’ Show Brings a Danvers State Feel.

Aside from scenery backdrops and some costume modifications, it doesn’t sound like this production will deviate much from the original though. The change of setting is more a clever gimmick than a statement or exploration of the hospital’s weird mystique. Still, it’s kind of a fun and irreverent idea which is in good keeping with the story, if not particularly sensitive to DSH’s history. But I don’t think DYT needs to be criticized for that really.

Performances will take place at the Masonic Temple Danvers at on August 7th, 8th and 9th. Tickets are $10. Email danversyouththeatre@hotmail.com for tickets and other details.

No, I’m not talking about ghosts, it’s some Avalon Danvers residents who are apparently unhappy. I was looking around for news items about Danvers State Hospital, and came across some reviews of Avalon Danvers from current residents of the complex. Complaints range from noise and traffic problems, unresponsive management, unseemly neighbors, and “corners cut on construction”. I’m sure all you Avalon haters will enjoy reading these: (more…)

Today’s Salem News has an article about last night’s grand opening ceremony at Avalon Danvers: Officials Celebrate Rebirth of Danvers State Property. Even with all the congratulations about what they did preserve, I still don’t believe Avalon cared one bit about preserving anything at Danvers State Hospital. They only did what they had to do to get their hands on the property and cram as many multi-level crap shacks as they could fit on top of Hathorne Hill.

I have to agree with Richard Trask. The Avalon Danvers development was “an historical rape of an important structure, not just to Danvers but to the United States.”

I like all Kirkbride buildings, but definitely not equally. I have my favorites. Below is a list of the five I like most. Before we get to the list though, here’s a little disclaimer: this list is based solely on aesthetics and does not mean that these are particularly good examples of Kirkbride buildings, or that these were the best hospitals in terms of treatment, recovery rates, staff, etc. Also, I’m only counting the buildings I’ve been to. There are other Kirkbrides I would have considered, but they were demolished decades ago and I don’t want to evaluate them on photographs alone.

And now, without further ado… (more…)

There’s an article today in The Boston Globe about Avalon Danvers: Rentals Are Going Quickly at Old Danvers Hospital Site. Avalon is finishing up the last few buildings and completion of the entire project should be in June of this year. It doesn’t sound like they’re having any trouble leasing or renting units either which will come as a surprise to those who thought Avalon’s investment unwise. Not that I’m all that happy for them…

My wife and I recently looked at an apartment in what used to be the Danvers Kirkbride. We originally thought we were going to be looking at a condo, but it turns out Avalon only rents the Kirkbride living spaces.

We were shown a model apartment on the first floor of the admin. It was actually reasonably nice for an apartment. The rooms were bright (because of those big Kirkbride windows). The kitchen had the essential granite counter tops, and a seemingly impossible amount of cabinet space. There were also two huge bathrooms you could dance the Tango in. While not exceptional, the construction didn’t seem particularly cheap either. We were told the apartments in what’s left of the Kirkbride are of a higher quality than the ones in the new buildings. (more, including interior photos…)

There’s a location in Second Life modeled after Danvers State Hospital. It’s called Ryder Asylum. If you’re a Second Life user, you can teleport there from this page. You can also rent rooms in the Kirkbride. (more…)