May 16th, 2011
To celebrate National Preservation Month (this year’s theme is “Celebrating America’s Treasures”), there will be a meeting at the M State campus in Fergus Falls on Tuesday, May 24th. It starts at 6:00 PM in Legacy Hall. The event is sponsored by The Fergus Falls Heritage Preservation Commission and Friends of the Kirkbride. It is free and open to the public.
Part of the meeting will be devoted to the importance of saving and restoring historic buildings in general, and what others have done to restore and reuse historic structures. There will also be some discussion of the Fergus Falls Kirkbride building’s historic significance. Among the scheduled speakers is Ray Minervini, the man who breathed new life into the Kirkbride building in Traverse City, Michigan.
Also worth noting is that the city of Fergus Falls has proposed a phased demolition of the former RTC property. Under the plan some newer additions to the main building, as well as some older separate structures, and the tunnels beneath the Kirkbride could be demolished as early as Summer 2012. The areas in question are marked in bright yellow in the image above. The city has also proposed breaking the property into smaller pieces so that developers interested in reusing only a portion of the Kirkbride (a single wing for example) may make proposals to do so. According to an article in the Fergus Falls Journal, “Parts of the Kirkbride that were not picked up by developers could tentatively then be torn down late in the 2012 construction season and into 2013.” Read the article here: City Gives Kirkbride One Last Chance.
April 11th, 2011
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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.
August 30th, 2010
Just thought it was worth noting that the former Fergus Falls State Hospital campus is being offered for sale on Craigslist: $1 Historic Fergus Falls State Hospital. Alhough I have a hard time believing its fair market value (as the ad states), $1 is quite a bargain. It’s too bad “a plan for development and proof of private development capital is also required.”
July 9th, 2010
As has long been suspected, the Chinese language immersion school that was supposed to take over the Fergus Falls Kirkbride is just not going to happen. Redevelopment of other buildings on the property is moving forward, but there are no plans in the works for the Kirkbride. Demolition is the only option on the table. Although it’s not a done deal just yet, things are not looking good for the preservation of Minnesota’s last intact Kirkbride building. You can read a little more about this here: RTC Development to Move Forward; Chinese School Nixed.
December 23rd, 2009
A few days ago, squad546 on the Asylum Projects forum told me that Independence State Hospital is now represented in Google’s Street View. I soon after went looking for other Kirkbride buildings to see if there were any other new additions since I last checked. Below are the ones I found that you can see clearly. (more…)
August 31st, 2009
The Otter Tail County Historical Society in Minnesota will be hosting an event titled Myths and Legends: Stories from the Fergus Falls State Hospital. It will be held on the grounds of the abandoned facility at 5:30PM on September 4th, September 18th and October 16th. The event coincides with an exhibit at the historical society’s museum also titled Myths and Legends which deals with lore from the entire county, but includes stories and equipment from the state hospital. Attending the event will cost $5. More information is available here and here.
June 16th, 2009
A fire started in the Fergus Falls Kirkbride earlier today (Tuesday, June 16). You can see some pictures of it here: Fire at the Regional Treatment Center. I don’t know the details, but will post more information when I find out more about it.
Update - Here’s some good video footage of the fire by Lethal over at the Fergus Falls Forum. Looks like the fire was caused by a lightning strike. It’s hard to tell, but the damage doesn’t look too intense. It’s painful to watch how long it takes for the ladder to extend, but I’m sure they’re moving as fast as they can. (more…)
June 15th, 2009
StoryCorps — the nonprofit project to honor and celebrate lives through listening — just posted a story about the memories of one Marcia Page: A Special Childhood Friend. Marcia spent part of her childhood on the grounds of the Fergus Falls State Hospital. Her father was the chief clinical psychologist there during part of the 1950s. While the piece is unfortunately brief, it does offer a warm glimpse of what life could be like for a hospital employee’s child. Read the Story
June 5th, 2009
Here’s some really fascinating footage of the Oregon State Hospital J-Building being torn down. I don’t advocate smoking pot, but I think sparking up a J may be the only way you’re going to get through all 38 minutes and 57 seconds of this video. So why am I including it here? I feel bad about not posting more often and this seems like a fast and easy way to make it look like I’m still providing value for your money. Plus it gives me a chance to engage in some clever word play (J-Building… sparking up a J… get it?) (more…)
May 6th, 2009
This summer, the city of Fergus Falls (Minnesota) will be holding an auction to sell off items from the former Fergus Falls State Hospital. Items include tools, medical equipment and office supplies — “everything from crutches to wardrobes to giant kitchen mixers.” The auction will probably happen in June, but the city hasn’t yet set an exact date for it. You can read all about it here: City Selling RTC Artifacts.
As usual, the most intriguing part about that Fergus Falls Journal article is the comments section (no offense to the FFJ reporters, it’s just that the juicy gossip naturally shows up in the public’s commentary). A few readers express concern that the proposed college will never materialize and criticize the lack of publicly available information about it. There’s also some speculation that the building is being looted and that an antique pool table was spirited off to someone’s private residence.
