December 11th, 2009
The Lost Kirkbrides: Manhattan State Hospital
A short while ago, asylum aficionado Ian Ference clued me in on a Kirkbride building I was unaware of. Surprisingly, the slightly modified Kirkbride plan building pictured above was located in Manhattan! Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of images of the building online. The best I’ve seen so far are located here: aerial photos (look near the curve of the bridge) — although those sadly don’t reveal the entire building.
Founded in 1863, the hospital was originally called the New York City Asylum for the Insane and stood on Ward’s Island as part of a larger hospital complex predominantly serving newly arrived immigrants. When the State Department of Mental Hygiene took over its administration in 1899, it became Manhattan State Hospital. When exactly the Kirkbride was built I don’t yet know. However, Mr Ference has confirmed that the building no longer stands.
You know, I swear I came across a post card of this place on eBay once. I don’t recall being able to tell if it was a Kirkbride or not at the time (probably just a photo of the admin.). Keep us up to date on any info. you can find. Seeing as how it was in NYC there has got to be some info. somewhere.
There were 3 asylums named “New York City Asylum for the Insane”. 1 was on Wards Island, another on Blackwell Island & a third on Hart Island. In the late 1800s they decided to merge all 3 on Wards Island & they decided to use a large building originally used by the State Immigration. If I had to guess, this could possibly be that building. I never finished looking into it though. Here’s one low quality scan I had found of it.
http://tiny.cc/brRkG
Go out to Historicaerials.com and it shows a very much better view. It was there in 1955 but gone 1966.
This site is great for going back in time to view these once great structures and I use it for old amusement parks also. Go out to Chicago and look at the once great Riverview park, WOW that place was once GREAT!!!!
Phil, I should have known you’d know something about this place. That picture is fantastic! The building looks amazing in its original state. I still want to see the admin though.
Tilyous, I always forget about that site. Thanks for the reminder. It definitely narrows down when the building was demolished.
I found this brief mention in History of Medecine in New York by James Joseph Walsh:
Also, Wikipedia says that Scott Joplin and Wilhelm Steinitz (a famous chess player) were both patients there.
I also found another photo which has what I think is the front of the building in the background. It’s hard to tell for sure. If it is the front, the admin isn’t as impressive as I had hoped.
Manhattan State Hospital
That is probably it, looks like the Hell Gate bridge under construction ca. 1917, nice find! I would say it’s not as impressive as we might’ve hoped since it was probably built for the State Immigration Department. I checked the NYC library online & they don’t really have anything.
I have two books on Hart’s Island and they never mention any asylum being operated there. I think there was a building construced as a women’s asylum but I’m not sure if it ever operated as such. There was a poor house, prison and a hospital though.
WSH – There was definitely a womens’ asylum operating on Hart Island; it was a subsidiary asylum to the one operating on Blackwell’s (formerly Welfare / currently Roosevelt) Island, and the first building was built in 1885 – the same year Riverside Hospital moved from Blackwell’s Island to North Brother Island. The facility on Hart Island stopped functioning as an asylum early in the century.
I love this site.
The women’s asylum on Hart Island still stands, take a look on Bing maps (:
I found this in artificialowl. I don’t know if any of these are of the Kirkbride. It’s worth a peek though.
http://www.artificialowl.net/2008/10/abandoned-smallpox-hospital-roosevelt.html
I had a great-great grandmother who spent 5 years, 8 months at Ward’s Island from 1895 to 1901(name changed to Manhattan State Hospital in 1899) I have her original medical intake record from Ward’s and it’s not pretty. As for pictures, I know for certain that in 1940, a picture was taken of every single building in New York City and still exists in the NY Municipal Archives. Perhaps a good photo exists from that survey.
I found an aerial of MHS:
http://gis.nyc.gov/doitt/nycitymap/?z=8&p=1004282,225098&c=orthos1924&s=a:681,CLARKSON+AVENUE,BROOKLYN
I have a death certificate from 1916 showing place of death as: Manahattan, asylum, 1506 Ames (?) Avenue. Could this be the Manhattan State Hospital on Ward’s Island? If not, anyone with a guess what asylum the DC is refering to and/or the correct name of the street (handwriting hard to read). Thanks
To Brewster, I also have a great grandmother who was in the manhatten State Wards Hospital in 1930’s. How do you obtain the orginal medical intake records from Ward’s? Thanks for any help. Diana
To Brewster, I too have a great grandfather who was in Manhattan State Hosital from 1916 until his death in 1929. How do you find the original intake records? I appreciate your help.
Thank you,
Claire
I am looking for a cousin committed some time after the birth of her daughter in 1922. She remained in an asylum until her death. Is there a way to check if she was in the ManhattanState hospital, thanks
Are State officials in Albany releasing patient records for Ward Island yet?