Kirkbride Plan
Encyclopedia
The Kirkbride Plan refers to a system of mental asylum design advocated by Philadelphia psychiatrist
Thomas Story Kirkbride
in the mid-19th century.
s in the U.S. is partly due to reformer Dorothea Dix
, who testified to the Massachusetts
legislature in 1844, vividly describing the state's treatment of people with mental illness
: they were being housed in county jails, private homes and the basements of public buildings. Dix's effort led to the construction of the New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum, the first asylum built on the Kirkbride Plan.
Kirkbride developed his requirements based on a philosophy of Moral Treatment
. The typical floor plan, with long rambling wings arranged en echelon
(staggered, so each connected wing received sunlight and fresh air), was meant to promote privacy and comfort for patients. The building form itself was meant to have a curative effect: "a special apparatus for the care of lunacy, [whose grounds should be] highly improved and tastefully ornamented." The idea of institutionalization was thus central to Kirkbride's plan for effectively treating patients with mental illnesses.
The asylums tended to be large, imposing, Victorian-era institutional buildings within extensive surrounding grounds, which often included farmland, sometimes worked by patients as part of physical exercise and therapy. While the vast majority were located in the United States, similar facilities were built in Canada, and a psychiatric hospital
in Australia was influenced by Kirkbride's recommendations. By 1900 the notion of "building-as-cure" was largely discredited, and in the following decades these large facilities became too expensive to maintain. Many Kirkbride Plan asylums still stand today. Most are abandoned, neglected, and vandalized, though several are still in use or have been renovated for uses other than mental health care.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Thomas Story Kirkbride
Thomas Story Kirkbride
Thomas Story Kirkbride was a physician, advocate for the mentally ill, and founder of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane , a precursor to the American Psychiatric Association.-Early career:Born into a Quaker family in Morrisville, Pennsylvania,...
in the mid-19th century.
History
The establishment of state mental hospitalMental Hospital
Mental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
s in the U.S. is partly due to reformer Dorothea Dix
Dorothea Dix
Dorothea Lynde Dix was an American activist on behalf of the indigent insane who, through a vigorous program of lobbying state legislatures and the United States Congress, created the first generation of American mental asylums...
, who testified to the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
legislature in 1844, vividly describing the state's treatment of people with mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
: they were being housed in county jails, private homes and the basements of public buildings. Dix's effort led to the construction of the New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum, the first asylum built on the Kirkbride Plan.
Kirkbride developed his requirements based on a philosophy of Moral Treatment
Moral treatment
Moral treatment was an approach to mental disorder based on humane psychosocial care or moral discipline that emerged in the 18th century and came to the fore for much of the 19th century, deriving partly from psychiatry or psychology and partly from religious or moral concerns...
. The typical floor plan, with long rambling wings arranged en echelon
Echelon
Echelon may refer to:* A level or rank in an organization, profession, or society.* Echelon formation, a military hierarchical formation, also used to describe the migratory patterns of birds...
(staggered, so each connected wing received sunlight and fresh air), was meant to promote privacy and comfort for patients. The building form itself was meant to have a curative effect: "a special apparatus for the care of lunacy, [whose grounds should be] highly improved and tastefully ornamented." The idea of institutionalization was thus central to Kirkbride's plan for effectively treating patients with mental illnesses.
The asylums tended to be large, imposing, Victorian-era institutional buildings within extensive surrounding grounds, which often included farmland, sometimes worked by patients as part of physical exercise and therapy. While the vast majority were located in the United States, similar facilities were built in Canada, and a psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
in Australia was influenced by Kirkbride's recommendations. By 1900 the notion of "building-as-cure" was largely discredited, and in the following decades these large facilities became too expensive to maintain. Many Kirkbride Plan asylums still stand today. Most are abandoned, neglected, and vandalized, though several are still in use or have been renovated for uses other than mental health care.
Notable Kirkbride Hospitals
- 1847 New Jersey State HospitalNew Jersey State Hospital at TrentonThe Trenton Psychiatric Hospital is a state run mental hospital located in Trenton and Ewing, New Jersey. It previously operated under the name New Jersey State Hospital at Trenton and originally as the New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum....
at Trenton, New JerseyTrenton, New JerseyTrenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, the first Kirkbride Plan building - 1848 Jacksonville State Hospital at Jacksonville, IllinoisJacksonville, IllinoisJacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,940 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County....
(demolished sometime in 20th century) - 1848 Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital (aka. Harrisburg State Hospital) at Harrisburg, PA (demolished around 1910)
- 1853 Maryland Hospital for the InsaneSpring Grove Hospital CenterSpring Grove Hospital Center, formerly known as Spring Grove State Hospital, is a psychiatric hospital located in the Baltimore, Maryland suburb of Catonsville....
at Spring GroveSpring Grove Hospital CenterSpring Grove Hospital Center, formerly known as Spring Grove State Hospital, is a psychiatric hospital located in the Baltimore, Maryland suburb of Catonsville....
, CatonsvilleCatonsville, MarylandAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:In 2010 Catonsville had a population of 41,567...
, MDMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
(demolished in 1963) - 1854 Taunton State HospitalTaunton State HospitalThe Taunton State Hospital is a psychiatric hospital built in 1854 in Taunton, Massachusetts....
at Taunton, MassachusettsTaunton, MassachusettsTaunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area. The city is located south of Boston, east of Providence, north of Fall River and west of Plymouth. The City of Taunton is situated on the Taunton River...
(Demolished in 2009) - 1854 Western State Hospital (formerly Western Lunatic Asylum) Hopkinsville, KentuckyHopkinsville, KentuckyHopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
- 1855 Dayton State HospitalSouthern Ohio Lunatic AsylumThe Southern Ohio Lunatic Asylum is an historic structure at 2335 Wayne Ave. in Dayton, Ohio. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1979....
(formerly the Southern Ohio Lunatic Asylum) at Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
(renovated and used as assisted living) - 1858 Northampton State Lunatic Hospital, Northampton, MassachusettsNorthampton, MassachusettsThe city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
(demolished in 2007) - 1858 Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric HospitalKalamazoo Regional Psychiatric HospitalThe Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital is the largest mental health institution in Michigan. It was built under the Kirkbride Plan.-History:It officially opened on 29 August 1859 under the direction of Dr. Edwin Van Deusen, although three women patients had been admitted prior to that time. The first...
(formerly the Western Michigan Asylum for the Insane), Kalamazoo, MichiganKalamazoo, MichiganThe area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to... - 1859 Dixmont State HospitalDixmont State HospitalDixmont State Hospital was a hospital located northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
(also known as Western Pennsylvania Asylum for the Insane) in Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
(demolished in late 2005) - 1860 The Institute of the Pennsylvania HospitalThe Institute of the Pennsylvania HospitalThe Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital, or Kirkbride's Hospital, was a psychiatric hospital located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that operated from its founding in 1841 until 1997...
(also known as the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane Department for Males) Philadelphia - 1861 Bryce Hospital, Tuscaloosa, AlabamaTuscaloosa, AlabamaTuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
(still in use) - 1861 Mount Pleasant State HospitalMount Pleasant Mental Health InstituteThe Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institute was a psychiatric institution located in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Originally known as the Iowa Lunatic Asylum, opened in 1861. It is located on the same campus as The Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility. There was also a labyrinth of underground tunnels...
, Mount PleasantMount Pleasant, IowaMount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Iowa, in the United States. The population was 8,668 in the 2010 census, a decline from 8,751 in the 2000 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.- History :...
, IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
(Closed and demolished after a huge fireFireFire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
left the buildings beyond repair.) - 1863 West Virginia Hospital for the Insane (also known as Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum)Weston State HospitalThe Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, subsequently the Armand Auclerc Weston State Hospital, was a Kirkbride psychiatric hospital that operated from 1864 until 1994 by the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia, in the city of Weston. The hospital was bought by Joe Jordan in 2007, and partly...
, Weston, West VirginiaWeston, West VirginiaWeston is a city in Lewis County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County, and home to the West Virginia Museum of American Glass.-History:... - 1868 Hudson River State Hospital for the InsaneHudson River State HospitalThe Hudson River State Hospital, is a former New York state psychiatric hospital whose main building has been designated a National Historic Landmark due to its exemplary High Victorian Gothic architecture, the first use of that style for an American institutional building., It is located on US 9...
, Poughkeepsie, New YorkPoughkeepsie (town), New YorkPoughkeepsie is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 42,777 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from the native term, "Uppu-qui-ipis-in," which means "reed-covered hut by the water."... - 1869 Danville State HospitalDanville State HospitalDanville State Hospital in Danville, Pennsylvania is a mental health facility operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. It was Pennsylvania’s third public facility to house the mentally ill and disabled.* Architect: John McArthur, Jr....
, Danville, PennsylvaniaDanville, PennsylvaniaDanville is a borough in Montour County, Pennsylvania, USA, of which it is the county seat, on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. Danville was home to 8,042 people in 1900, 7,517 people in 1910, and 7,122 people in 1940. The population was 4,897 at the 2000 census... - 1872 Northern Illinois State Mental Hospital, Elgin, IllinoisElgin, IllinoisElgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
(later known as Elgin State Hospital), demolished in 1993 - 1873 Winnebago State Hospital, Oshkosh, WisconsinOshkosh, WisconsinAs of the census of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,662.2 people per square mile . There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 1,075.6 per square mile...
(now known as Winnebago Mental Health Institute, original Kirkbride demolished in parts between 1950–1969) - 1873 Independence State HospitalIndependence State HospitalThe Independence State Hospital was built in 1873 as the second asylum in the state of Iowa. It is located in Independence, Iowa. The original plan for patients was to relieve crowding from the hospital at Mount Pleasant and to hold alcoholics, geriactrics, drug addicts, mentally ill, and the...
, IndependenceIndependence, IowaIndependence is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,966 in the 2010 census, a decline from 6,014 in the 2000 census...
, IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
(Still in operation and preserved.) - 1874 Athens Lunatic AsylumAthens Lunatic AsylumThe Athens Lunatic Asylum was a mental hospital operated in Athens, Ohio from 1874 until 1993. During its operation, the hospital provided services to a variety of patients including Civil War veterans, children, and violent criminals suffering from various mental disabilities...
, Athens, OhioAthens, OhioAthens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
(renovated and reused by Ohio University) - 1874 Warren State Hospital Warren, PA (still in use as Warren State Hospital)
- 1875 Broughton HospitalBroughton HospitalBroughton Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in Morganton, North Carolina. It is administered by North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services.-History:...
, Morganton, North CarolinaMorganton, North CarolinaMorganton is a city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. Reader's Digest included Morganton in its list of top ten places to raise a family. The town was recently profiled in The 50 Best Small Southern Towns. The population was 17,310 at the 2000 census...
(Western North Carolina Insane Asylum. Changed to The State Hospital at Morganton in 1890. Changed again in 1959 to Broughton Hospital) (still in use) - 1876 Greystone Park Psychiatric HospitalGreystone Park Psychiatric HospitalGreystone Park Psychiatric Hospital refers to both the former psychiatric hospital and the historic building that it occupied in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township .A new facility was built on the large Greystone campus and bears...
, Hanover, New Jersey (Kirkbride closed in 2008, fate undetermined. Hospital facilities moved to newer building directly behind "Kirk") - 1876 Napa State Hospital, Napa, CA Original Kirkbride demolished in 1949, hospital with new buildings still in use
- 1877 Worcester State HospitalWorcester State HospitalWorcester State Hospital was a Massachusetts state mental hospital located in Worcester, Massachusetts.The hospital and surrounding associated historic structures are listed as Worcester Asylum and related buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.-Early History:Once known as the...
, Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, MassachusettsWorcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
(Partially Demolished in 2007 - Currently being rebuilt as a non-Kirkbride Plan hospital) - 1878 Danvers State HospitalDanvers State HospitalDanvers State Hospital, also known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, and The Danvers State Insane Asylum, was a psychiatric hospital located in Danvers, Massachusetts....
, Danvers, MassachusettsDanvers, MassachusettsDanvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials, and for its famous asylum, the Danvers State Hospital.-17th century:The land...
(demolished in 2006) - 1878 Eastern Michigan Asylum for the InsaneClinton Valley CenterThe Clinton Valley Center , located in Pontiac, Michigan, was the second oldest psychiatric hospital in Michigan. CVC, originally named the Eastern Michigan Asylum for the Insane, opened its doors on August 1, 1878. In 1911, the hospital changed its name to Pontiac State Hospital and was renamed...
, Pontiac, MichiganPontiac, MichiganPontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
(demolished in 2000) - 1880-1890 Buffalo State Hospital, Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
(designed by H.H. Richardson) - 1883 Oregon State HospitalOregon State HospitalOregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon, United States, is the primary state-run psychiatric hospital in the state of Oregon since Dammasch State Hospital closed in 1995. The facility is best known as the filming location for the Academy Award-winning film based on Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over...
, Salem, OregonSalem, OregonSalem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
(Partially still in operation; health care operations transitioning to new facility as of 2010.) - 1883 Arkansas Lunatic Asylum, Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
(Renamed the Arkansas State Hospital for Nervous Diseases in 1905, it was changed to the Arkansas State Hospital in 1933. The original building was demolished in the 1960s.) - 1884 Clarinda State HospitalClarinda Treatment ComplexThe Clarinda Treatment Complex was built in 1884 as the Clarinda State Hospital in Clarinda, Iowa in southwest Iowa. It was the third asylum in the state of Iowa and remains in operation today. The hospital's many name variations include: The Clarinda Lunatic Asylum, The Clarinda State Asylum, The...
, ClarindaClarinda, Iowa-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 5,572 in the city, with a population density of . There were 2,180 housing units, of which 1,928 were occupied....
, IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
(Still in use and preserved) - 1885 Northern Michigan Asylum for the InsaneTraverse City State HospitalThe Traverse City State Hospital of Traverse City, Michigan has been variously known as the Northern Michigan Asylum and the Traverse City Regional Psychiatric Hospital...
, Traverse City, MichiganTraverse City, MichiganTraverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
(partially renovated and in use as condos and businesses) - 1890 Cherokee Mental Health InstituteCherokee Mental Health InstituteThe Cherokee Mental Health Institute is a state-run psychiatric facility in Cherokee, Iowa. It has operated from 1902 until the present day, currently under the authority of the Iowa Department of Human Services.-Early years:...
, Cherokee, IowaCherokee, IowaCherokee is a city in Cherokee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,932 at the 2010 Census, up from 5,369 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cherokee County. Cherokee is also the home of the Cherokee Mental Health Institute, under the Iowa Department of Human Services...
(still in use) - 1891 Sheppard Pratt Hospital, Towson, MarylandTowson, MarylandTowson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
(still in use) - 1891 Eastern State HospitalEastern State Hospital (Washington)Eastern State Hospital is a psychiatric hospital established in 1891 in Medical Lake, a small community 20 miles southwest of Spokane, Washington. The original building was a Kirkbride Plan and the current building has a similar floor plan with male and female wings extending out from the main...
, Medical Lake, WashingtonMedical Lake, WashingtonMedical Lake is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States. The population was 5,060 at the 2010 census. It is home to two mental hospitals, Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village.-Geography:...
(building torn down, hospital with new building still in use) - 1895 Fergus Falls Regional Treatment CenterFergus Falls Regional Treatment CenterThe Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center is a hospital built in the Kirkbride Plan style. It is located in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.-External Links:*http://www.kirkbridebuildings.com/buildings/fergusfalls/*...
, Fergus Falls, MinnesotaFergus Falls, MinnesotaFergus Falls is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,138 at the 2010 census.-Today:...
(not in use, owned by city)
External links
- Kirkbride Buildings — history and photography
- Historic Asylums — history and photography
- Danvers State Hospital — history and photography
- Northampton State Hospital — hospital history and photography
- Asylum Projects — historical wiki archive
- Hudson River State Hospital — hospital history and photography
- Athens Lunatic Asylum — hospital history and photography
- Kirkbride Hospitals at Architecture of the State
- Dixmont State Hospital — History and photography
- Danvers State Hospital — History, photography, archives
Further reading
- The Art of Asylum-Keeping by Nancy Tomes
- Yanni, Carla. The Architecture of Madness: Insane Asylums in the United States, Minneapolis: Minnesota University Press, 2007.