December 16th, 2011
I found a whole slew of photos taken during the infamous Worcester State Hospital Kirkbride fire today. The pictures are part of D. M. Wenc’s portfolio which is available here: Worcester State Hospital Fire. They’re part of a series of Massachusetts fire photos Mr. Wenc and his father took in the 1990s. They also have video footage of the conflagration that’s being made into a DVD. The DVD will be for sale at a later date.
There are lots of great photos in this collection. Here are some of my favorites:
- A lone firefighter watches the Kirkbride burn
- Billowing smoke pours out from a ward’s attic
- The rear of the Kirkbride in flames with the Clocktower visible in the distance
- Flames engulf the Kirkbride attic
- Firefighters drenching the building with water
- Dousing the flames
- Flames leap from a turret
- Firefighters continue to drench the building after the fire is mostly extinguished
- Firefighters climb up to the roof
I was particularly struck by that last photo, mainly because I’d never seen that structure before. It looks like a group of enclosed porches with some unusual windows. Those were long gone by the time I visited the building for the first time back in 2001. I’ve never seen them in older photos before either.
I was also a little taken aback by the indifferent and nonchalant expressions on many of the people’s faces. It looks like a lot of them thought the fire wasn’t a big deal. It probably wasn’t to many people. I suppose many thought the building was just an old eyesore. But then again, just because someone’s smiling in a photograph doesn’t mean they were having the time of their lives the entire day.
As beautiful as the photos are, it’s depressing to see these pictures and think about what might have been. If it wasn’t for the fire, the entire Kirkbride might still be perched up there on the hill today.
You can find more photography by D. M. Wenc on his blog: Photography by D. M. Wenc. You can also follow him on Twitter. (Speaking of Twitter, did you know Kirkbride Buildings tweets? As do I, if you’re interested in following me.)
December 6th, 2011
The Richardson Center Corporation is requesting donations to help to fund them preserve and reuse the former Buffalo State Hospital Kirkbride building. If you believe in their mission, please send them a check for what you can afford. Donations of $50 or more entitle you to a special gift. $50 will get you one ticket to an open house event scheduled for January 26, 2012. $100 gets you a ticket to the open house, plus a photograph of the Buffalo admin by photographer Patricia Bazelon. $500 will get you the best gift of all: a 90-minute private guided tour of the complex for you and 20 friends.
You can view the email they sent out today here: Support the Richardson Olmsted Complex. Please fill out the form and send in a check to support the preservation of this amazing historic landmark.
December 3rd, 2011
I was happy to learn that Thomasp94 recently discovered a Kirkbride building not listed anywhere online: Mount Hope Retreat (Kirkbride?)
It certainly looks like a Kirkbride to me. This imposing edifice was the main building at Mount Hope Retreat in Baltimore, Maryland. Mount Hope was a private, Catholic institution founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1840. Construction of the Kirkbride, however, didn’t begin until 1859. It was designed by the architects Long & Powell.
The building is described in The Institutional Care of the Insane in the United States and Canada:
The hospital consists of a main building and four extensive wings. The former is five stories high, with an attic surmounted by a dome 160 feet from the ground, which affords a magnificent view of the city, the bay and the surrounding country. In the center or main building are located the reception rooms, the parlor, the billiard room, the Sisters’ apartments, chapel, special private rooms, the dormitories for patients and the sewing rooms. The wings are appropriated to the exclusive use of patients.
Too bad it was demolished some time in the 1970s or 80s. For more about the institution, read the short history covering its full life-span at MonumentalCity.net.
November 14th, 2011
The Bryce Hospital Kirkbride will likely become home to a museum once the University of Alabama takes control of the building. You can read about it in the university’s student-run newspaper, The Crimson White: UA Releases New Campus Master Plan. Their article states:
“By terms of the purchase agreement between the Department of Mental Health and the University of Alabama, there is going to be a mental health museum located in the Bryce Hospital building,” [said Darrell Meyer of KPS Group, the architectural firm helping UA with the campus master plan]. “We realized that we don’t have a University history museum. I think we really need one of those.”
In addition to building a University history museum, Meyer also spoke of plans for museums for mental health, natural history, Jones art collection, and special collections.
It’s not very clear the way it’s written, but I’m pretty certain the mental health museum is a sure thing, and the university history and other museums are just possibilities. Hopefully though, the prospect of several museums means it’s more likely the entire building will be preserved. It’d be great to have another fully intact Kirkbride that’s accessible to the general public.
UPDATE: This article: Bryce May Become Cultural Arts Center, adds that the Kirkbride would also house spaces for the performing arts as well as for a museum or museums.
November 6th, 2011
As I may have mentioned before, one of the reasons I don’t blog much anymore is because so often the fate of abandoned Kirkbride buildings is murky for years on end. I’m tired of trying to think up new ways to say “whether the building will be saved is unclear, but things sound hopeful…” Regardless, I thought it worth noting that New Jersey’s Governor Christie has announced a $27 million plan to clean up the former Greystone Park State Hospital site. The plan calls for demolition of many buildings, but also “calls for determining the feasibility of redeveloping the historic Kirkbride Building” according to an article by New Jersey News Room: Gov. Christie Announces Greystone Psychiatric Hospital Demolition for Open Space.
I’m sure $27 million — even if it was entirely for the Kirkbride — won’t go very far in breathing new life into the Greystone Kirkbride. Most of the money will go toward demolishing other buildings and converting the property into open space parkland. But at least wheels are turning in regards to the Kirkbride’s preservation. Hopefully the feasibility study isn’t just a token gesture. It would be great if the building could remain as a point of architectural interest within all that open space. It’d be even better if it could be restored to its former grandeur, but that’s very unlikely I’m sure.
Thought I’d also mention a minor bit of trivia I learned while reading about this: according to an Associated Press article, President Ulysses S. Grant spoke at the opening of Greystone Park.
October 31st, 2011
Every year around Halloween there are stories in the papers about old asylums. And I always find myself grimacing over the inevitable few that invoke the supernatural. Although I can sort of understand the desire to connect asylums to paranormal activity, I think actually doing so cheapens the real history of these places—especially when it’s done just to get something spooky out for Halloween. This year however, I was pleased to find this article: Former Fergus Falls State Hospital Source of Many Legends. It relates a few unusual (but obviously very real) occurrences at Fergus Falls State Hospital as told by Chris Schuelke, executive director of the Otter Tail County Historical Society.
Speaking of Fergus Falls, if you haven’t already, please join the Friends of the Kirkbride group on Facebook to get the latest news about the building and to show your support for its preservation.
September 9th, 2011
Public tours of the Buffalo Kirkbride building have been scheduled for this fall! The one hour guided tours will take place on Saturday, October 15th; Sunday, October 16th; and Sunday, October 23rd. Email info@richardson-olmsted.com to make reservations and for payment and parking instructions.
I was lucky enough to take a semi-public tour of the Buffalo Kirkbride back in July. We were shown the basement and first floor of the admin, one floor each of two wing sections, plus a bit of the attic. I’m not sure, but from the description on the Richardson Center Corporation’s Facebook page, I gather that these upcoming tours will more or less cover the same area.
The interior is pretty much as impressive as you’d guess by looking at the exterior. I’m sure, like me, you’ve seen pictures of the inside before, but actually being in that space is something pictures can’t really prepare you for. Most everything is on a massive scale and exudes a sort of robust energy, except for the main staircase in the admin curiously. It’s a really nice staircase, but it’s surprisingly modest compared to everything else. It was interesting too to see some of the interior preservation work the Richardson Center Corporation has been doing. It looked really good and in keeping with the building’s spirit. They still have a lot to do though.
Since taking the tour is a way to contribute to their preservation work, I really recommend it to any Kirkbride enthusiast who can make it to Buffalo in October. I’ll write a bit more about my own experience touring the Kirkbride on a later date, after I finally sit down and process all the pictures I took.
July 29th, 2011
Things are looking bleak for the Worcester Kirkbride Clock Tower. Even though the structure avoided demolition when the state razed the rest of the building’s remains just three years ago, its days are now numbered. According to a post on the Save Worcester State Hospital Clock Tower Facebook page, Massachusetts is planning to demolish the building due to a lack of funds or interest in reusing it.
I encourage everyone interested in saving the Clock Tower to read the post, like the Save Worcester State Hospital Clock Tower Facebook page, and to share any thoughts you might have on the subject there.
July 10th, 2011
This may be the shortest post in the history of this blog, but I thought it worth noting that there’s a new article containing more biographical information about the Electric Pencil: Mystery Artist from the Ozarks Identified. The article includes a photo of Edward Deeds. In case you missed it, here’s more information about the Electric Pencil (aka Edward Deeds) from the archives.
June 16th, 2011
South Carolina’s state Budget and Control Board has approved the sale of the former Columbia State Hospital to developer Bob Hughes. You can read about it here: Board OKs Dept. of Mental Health’s Sale of Bull Street Property.
Redevelopment will take several years. There’s not much information on exactly what will be done with the property, and more importantly whether the historic buildings will be saved. The statement that the developer wants to create a “world-class residential and commercial neighborhood that respects the property’s special place in the city’s history” sounds promising, but is a little too vague to make me feel like the Kirkbride is safe from the wrecking ball.
This profile of Bob Hughes makes preservation sound like a possibility, but it certainly doesn’t say it’s a given: Bull Street Developer Led Greenville Revival.
