Kirkbride Buildings - Historic Insane Asylum Architecture

I swung by Worcester State Hospital this weekend as I was in the area and I had read the clock tower replica had finally been completed. You can read more about that here: Rebuilt clock tower welcomed on hospital campus in Worcester. Note that there’ll be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10AM on Thursday, December 10, 2015.

There’s still a chainlink fence around the tower right now so you can’t get very close. I took a few pictures from a distance with my phone. You can’t make it out in the pictures unfortunately, but it looks like there’s a spiral staircase in the center of the structure. There are metal gates protecting the entrances at the base of the tower though. I’m guessing those will remain closed and locked. It’d be nice if the public could climb to the top at will, but that’s probably asking too much, especially as the tower is on the grounds of a psychiatric hospital.

Overall I think it looks good. It’s obviously not exactly like the old tower, and it’s not an adequate replacement for the Kirkbride, or even the just admin. It’s a fairly accurate replica of the tower though and (a little bit) better than nothing. Even though it’s somewhat disappointing and odd, I’ll probably visit it from time to time for a reminder of what used to be.

On Wednesday, May 13th, Preserve Greystone will be making their case in court for halting demolition of the Greystone Kirkbride. This may be the last chance for stopping the ongoing destruction of this historic building. If you live within driving distance and can get the time off from work/school/whatever, please attend the hearing to show support for preserving the Kirkbride. The more people attending the hearing, the better.

The hearing will be located at 56 Washington Street, Morristown, NJ 07960. Preserve Greystone will have volunteers available to direct you to the correct courtroom. Metered street parking is available. The closest parking garage is the John D. Dalton Parking Garage at the corner of Catano Avenue and Washington Street.

Supporters can gather at 2 p.m. on the The Green in Morristown to get “Preserve Greystone” buttons to wear to the hearing. More details can be found on their facebook page.

Preservationworks has issued a press release summarizing their conference held this past weekend. The conference brought together many leaders in Kirkbride building preservation efforts. It sounds like there was some good discussion (sadly, I couldn’t attend).

It’s heartening to see a summit of like-minded preservationists. Knowledge sharing like this can only help the cause.

Read the Press Release.

Abatement of the Greystone Kirkbride in New Jersey appears to be nearing completion, and actual demolition could begin as early as this month. Preserve Greystone is planning a rally at the Kirkbride on Sunday, April 12th. More information is available at the #Rally4Greystone event page on Facebook. Please attend the rally if you can. It’s important to show strong support for preserving the building. Even though the demolition process is in motion, Preserve Greystone is still fighting to halt it, and they can use all the support they can get from like-minded preservationists.

On April 3rd, the New York Times published an article on this story: Preservationists Fight to Save a Former Asylum in New Jersey. It’s fantastic such a widely-read media outlet wrote about what’s going on. I hope it makes a difference in Greystone’s fate, but also that it contributes to more consideration being given to saving other Kirkbride buildings.

Preserve Greystone has posted an appeal on Facebook for all parties interested in saving the Kirkbride. I’ve reproduced the text of that post below. Please attend the Freeholder meeting if possible. And please at the very least sign the online petition.

Two ways to voice your opinions in person or through petition to the County. Either attend this week’s Freeholder’s Meeting along with members of Preserve Greystone’s board, or sign our online petition. Please, mail and/or scan and email any physical petitions you may have in your possession that have not been sent to Preserve Greystone.

Freeholder’s Meeting Details
When: Wednesday, April 8, 2015, 7:30pm
Where: Administration & Records Building
Court Street, Morristown 07960
We will be presenting the physical petition and all the online signatures and stories from the online petition at this meeting.

Preserve Greystone is holding a town hall meeting on Wednesday, April 1 at 7:00PM. The meeting will be held at Morristown Town Hall, Senior Center, 3rd Floor in Morristown, New Jersey. Please attend if possible to show support for saving the Greystone Park Kirkbride building.

Topics to be discussed include details on the group’s fundraising campaign and their need for more volunteers to help in their effort to preserve the Kirkbride. More details are available on the Preserve Greystone Town Hall Meeting flyer.

If you can’t attend, please visit the Preserve Greystone support web page for other ways you can be a part of the mission to save this unique, irreplaceable part of American history.

I knew something like this was coming, but that doesn’t make me any less sad and disappointed. Parts of the historic Bryce Hospital Kirkbride building are now being demolished. You can read all about it on TuscaloosaNews.com: Part of Former Bryce Hospital Being Demolished