February 5th, 2008
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…
February 4th, 2008
My wife and I recently looked at an apartment in what used to be the Danvers Kirkbride. We originally thought we were going to be looking at a condo, but it turns out Avalon only rents the Kirkbride living spaces.
We were shown a model apartment on the first floor of the admin. It was actually reasonably nice for an apartment. The rooms were bright (because of those big Kirkbride windows). The kitchen had the essential granite counter tops, and a seemingly impossible amount of cabinet space. There were also two huge bathrooms you could dance the Tango in. While not exceptional, the construction didn’t seem particularly cheap either. We were told the apartments in what’s left of the Kirkbride are of a higher quality than the ones in the new buildings. (more, including interior photos…)
February 1st, 2008
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…)
January 30th, 2008
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.
January 29th, 2008
I added a Greystone Park page to the site. I’ve been sitting on pictures of the place for a few years now. They’ll be a bit of a yawn to those familiar with other asylum web sites (most notably John Gray’s fantastic Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital). But I think it’s important that the building be represented here, if only to stop the semi-regular emails I get telling me that I missed Greystone… (more…)
January 26th, 2008
I decided to bring the forum back. Part of my future plan for KirkbrideBuildings.com is to welcome contributions from other people who have had first-hand experience of the various buildings. Having a forum is an obvious first step toward that goal. Feel free to contribute with information, questions, or comments. (more…)
January 24th, 2008
A little while back, someone from the Arkansas History Commission & State Archives informed me that there was once a Kirkbride at the state hospital in Little Rock. I had suspected that there was one there, but wasn’t sure until I got their email. The stunning building pictured above opened as the Arkansas Lunatic Asylum in 1883. Unfortunately, it was demolished in the 1960s. You can learn the asylum’s history at this web page which also includes a few more images. I’ve added Arkansas, and a few other lost Kirkbrides, to the list of demolished Kirkbrides.
January 23rd, 2008
Tours at Weston State Hospital are set to resume in March 2008. (more…)
January 22nd, 2008
Source: Google Maps
Above is Google’s Street View of Worcester State Hospital. Click on the image and drag your mouse around to explore it. You can see the Clocktower and other remaining pieces of the Kirkbride, as well as the rest of the hospital campus. (more…)
January 19th, 2008
The Lobotomist, an American Experience documentary about the notorious Dr Walter Freeman, will be aired Monday, January 21st on PBS. Dr Freeman was the inventor of the transorbital lobotomy and has a rather chequered reputation—as does the lobotomy which fell out of favor years ago. Stories about controversial or horrific treatment of patients are usually a bit too morbid for my taste, but they’re impossible to avoid when studying the buildings in which these treatments often took place. American Experience always makes intelligent, high-quality documentaries too, so this is worth seeing if you have the time.
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