Worcester State Hospital
Encyclopedia
Worcester 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
.
In 1901 a satellite facility which became the Grafton State Hospital
was opened in nearby Grafton, Massachusetts
to give non-violent patients an opportunity to engage in therapeutic work in a rural environment.
and located on Belmont Street. Construction began in 1870 and the newly built Worcester State Hospital was completed in 1876 at the cost of well over a million dollars. Designed by architect Ward P. Delano of the firm Fuller & Delano of Worcester, the flagstone and brick building stood four stories tall, and between the 500 feet (152.4 m) wings stood a clock tower, looming above the administration building. The building seems to reflect more of a prison complex in the styles, layout, and sheer size of the institution.
During its operation, the hospital housed thousands of patients. In 1949, the daily operations of the facility were documented by Life
.
A massive fire at Worcester State Hospital on July 22, 1991, destroyed almost all of the building's roof as well as the wards, save for the right most wing and the administration building. The hospital still functions as a psychiatric facility in Worcester, Massachusetts.
and Worcester State hospitals. In 2008, there were plans to film Shutter Island on the grounds of the hospital. Because of the pending demolition of the facility, filming was not approved and instead the filming took place at Medfield State Hospital
. In 2008, the remaining buildings on the property with the exception of the clock tower administration building and the Hooper Turret were torn down.
As of 2009 there have been plans made to secure and maintain the exterior of the main administration building and possible refurbishing of the clock tower itself.
A fitness trail around the perimeter of the grounds has been drawn up and may be put in place in the near future.
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...
state mental hospital located in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester 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....
.
The hospital and surrounding associated historic structures are listed as Worcester Asylum and related buildings on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Early History
Once known as the Worcester Lunatic Asylum and the Bloomingdale Asylum, the hospital dates back to the 1830s. On January 12, 1833, the Worcester Insane Asylum opened. It was the first of its kind in the state. During the first year alone, 164 patients were received.In 1901 a satellite facility which became the Grafton State Hospital
Grafton State Hospital
Grafton State Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Grafton, Massachusetts that operated from 1901 to 1973. Today, the site has been redeveloped with Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine as a major occupant, along with the Grafton Job Corps office and various other State...
was opened in nearby Grafton, Massachusetts
Grafton, Massachusetts
Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,765 at the 2010 census. Grafton is the home of a Nipmuc village known as Hassanamisco Reservation, the Willard House and Clock Museum, and the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine...
to give non-violent patients an opportunity to engage in therapeutic work in a rural environment.
New Building
Overcrowding soon became a problem, and Merrick Bemis, the superintendent at the time, called for the construction of a new asylum. A massive structure was to be laid out in the Kirkbride PlanKirkbride Plan
The Kirkbride Plan refers to a system of mental asylum design advocated by Philadelphia psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride in the mid-19th century.-History:The establishment of state mental hospitals in the U.S...
and located on Belmont Street. Construction began in 1870 and the newly built Worcester State Hospital was completed in 1876 at the cost of well over a million dollars. Designed by architect Ward P. Delano of the firm Fuller & Delano of Worcester, the flagstone and brick building stood four stories tall, and between the 500 feet (152.4 m) wings stood a clock tower, looming above the administration building. The building seems to reflect more of a prison complex in the styles, layout, and sheer size of the institution.
During its operation, the hospital housed thousands of patients. In 1949, the daily operations of the facility were documented by Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
.
A massive fire at Worcester State Hospital on July 22, 1991, destroyed almost all of the building's roof as well as the wards, save for the right most wing and the administration building. The hospital still functions as a psychiatric facility in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Current Use and Redevelopment
Although the facility was officially closed in 1991, operations still continue at the facility in a newer building. In 2004 a proposal to build a new facility on this property was put into the works and called for all of the remaining newer and old building to be torn down. The current patients in the newer building have no air conditioning and room temperatures can exceed 100 degrees (F) in the summer. Erecting the new hospital will take the place of both the current WestboroughWestborough State Hospital
Westborough State Hospital or "Westborough Insane Hospital" is a historic hospital along Lyman Street, north of Chauncy Lake and junction of Milk Street and MA Route 9 Westborough, Massachusetts, which sat on more than 600 acres....
and Worcester State hospitals. In 2008, there were plans to film Shutter Island on the grounds of the hospital. Because of the pending demolition of the facility, filming was not approved and instead the filming took place at Medfield State Hospital
Medfield State Hospital
Medfield State Hospital is an historic mental hospital at 45 Hospital Road in Medfield, Massachusetts.The hospital was built in 1892. At its height it included 58 buildings, on a property of some , and a capacity of 2,200 patients. It raised its own livestock and produce, and generated its own...
. In 2008, the remaining buildings on the property with the exception of the clock tower administration building and the Hooper Turret were torn down.
As of 2009 there have been plans made to secure and maintain the exterior of the main administration building and possible refurbishing of the clock tower itself.
A fitness trail around the perimeter of the grounds has been drawn up and may be put in place in the near future.
External links
- Kirkbride Buildings
- WorcesterMass
- http://www.opacity.us/site56_worcester_state_hospital.htm
- The Coalition to Stop Institutional Violence records, 1972-1989 (bulk 1976-1981) are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.
- http://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Worcester_State_Hospital