April 16th, 2008
It’s Coming Down
The abandoned buildings at Worcester State Hospital could start coming down as soon as this week according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Reporter Lee Hammel writes about the possible scaling back of the proposed new hospital facility, and mentions a few facts about demolition and the unclear fate of the Clocktower.
For now the Clocktower is being spared, but its future is a little murky. There’s currently no funding for preserving the structure, and no definite plan for reuse. Considering an estimate for just stabilizing the historic building is $13 million, there’s a good chance it could come down as well. Still, it’s sort of an icon and I think it has a decent chance at survival.
The most surprising thing to me is that the state plans to keep the Bryan Building. I assumed that once the new facility was in place, they would have torn it down. It’s a pretty bleak monstrosity of utilitarian architecture and, from what I’ve heard, doesn’t have much to offer. Funny how buildings like that live on while more architecturally impressive Kirkbrides are knocked down.
