Kirkbride Buildings - Historic Insane Asylum Architecture

A New Jersey state commission has approved the auction of surplus land and buildings located on what will soon be the former Greystone Park Psychiatric Center. That includes the Kirkbride. As it stands now, the building will be sold to the highest bidder. The auction could take place as soon as this spring according to an article in The Star-Ledger. (more…)

There was an interesting development reported yesterday concerning the former Hudson River Psychiatric campus. According to the Poughkeepsie News, three Hudson Heritage partners sold their shares of the property to the remaining partner who plans to continue redevelopment. There’s a more extensive article on the story available today: 3 Sell Psych Center Property Share. (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…

There’s an article in The Buffalo News about repairs getting underway at the former Buffalo State Hospital Kirkbride. Stabilization, roof repair, electricity and added security seem to be the priorities. There’s no surprising information here if you’ve been keeping up with the story, but the photos accompanying the article are a nice surprise. They show work being done on one of the outlying brick wards—the part of the building least likely to be saved. While it doesn’t mean anything for certain, it makes me hopeful that preservation of the brick wards is at least a possibility.

Note: Some time after this post was published, The Buffalo News archived the article mentioned and it is no longer available without a membership to their web site. The article can still be read here, although the pictures aren’t included.

I can’t tell how old it is, but this article on the history of Saint Elizabeths on the National Museum of Civil War Medicine site is worth a look. Some of the info is pretty familiar, but this lithograph of the rear of the Kirkbride is something I’ve never seen before—and not a bad piece of work either.

It’s funny how almost every Kirkbride building has been drawn, painted, and photographed over its entire lifecycle, and that the photography done now is just a continuation of that historical record.

The asylum in Athens, Ohio is the subject of an article published today on The Athens News web site: The Ridges: Echoes of History. Writer Jenaye Antonuccio describes the asylum’s history and its relationship with the city. Also available on Jenaye’s blog is an un-edited version of the article: Glimpses of Home – The Shape of Lunacy.

In related news, rumors have been circulating recently that some buildings, or parts of buildings, on The Ridges may be torn down due to severe deterioration. Even if these rumors are based on fact, I’m pretty hopeful that no part of the Kirkbride is in jeopardy, but time will tell. I will of course post more about that if anything comes to light.

The abandoned west campus at Saint Elizabeths is in the news again: Chertoff Revives Bid for New CG HQ, and GSA Seeks Funding Boost for DHS Headquarters Project.

Nothing too exciting, but it gives me an excuse to mention an article I came across recently: What’s Inside Box No. 1997.0015 OHA 293.23? It’s a little old, but if you haven’t read it, it’s worth taking a look at—especially for this amazing slideshow.

I thought this article looked funny: Owners Want Mud Bog at Weston Hospital.

To be fair, it sounds like the mud bog would be a good distance from the historic buildings, so it’s not as weird as it sounds. I just can’t get the picture of monster trucks spewing mud and crushing cars on the Kirkbride front lawn out of my head though…

UPDATE: Regular reader Kirby sent me a link to this web site which proves the Kirkbride is a private retirement community. That means it’s not in danger of being abandoned. If I had taken the time, I would have found the same information in my own forum. That makes me feel pretty dumb:) Although that post is from two years ago… (more…)

There’s an article in The Birmingham News about a potential sale of Bryce Hospital. The adjoining University of Alabama is negotiating for the purchase of the property. Nothing’s definite yet, least of all the fate of the Kirkbride there, but there’s some worry that the building may be lost if the sale goes through. Hopefully preservation will win out, but unfortunately the odds aren’t in its favor if what’s happened to a few other Kirkbride buildings recently is anything to go by.