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The
original building built on the
hospital grounds was one of the
first insane asylums in the United
States built following the
Kirkbride Plan. Construction of
the original Main Building started between July
and October of 1848 and was completed in 1851 at
a cost of $169,000. Designed by John
Haviland, the building was
originally designed to hold 300
patients, but with the addition of
infirmaries the capacity increased
to 400 patients. The Main Building
served the hospital for only fifty years. It was considered by
many to be poorly designed and a
fire hazard. So at the turn
of the 20th century the building was
systematically demolished, starting
with the administration section, and
a short time later the patient wards. Later
in 1950 the land that the Main
Building once stood on was excavated
for a new Admissions Building. During
the excavation workers uncovered
debris from the demolition of the
Main Building that had been buried
for almost fifty years. Today
(2009), only the
cornerstone of the Main Building
still exists. It's encased in a
brick display behind the
Administration Building.
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Vintage Photo Gallery - 33 Photos
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New lithograph image of the Main Building! |
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Added: January 26, 2010 |
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