Once state-of-the-art mental healthcare facilities, Kirkbride buildings have long been relics of an obsolete therapeutic method known as Moral Treatment. In the latter half of the 19th century, these massive structures were conceived as ideal sanctuaries for the mentally ill and as an active participent in their recovery. Careful attention was given to every detail of their design to promote a healthy environment and convey a sense of respectable decorum. Placed in secluded areas within expansive grounds, many of these insane asylums seemed almost palace-like from the outside. But growing populations and insufficient funding led to unfortunate conditions, spoiling their idealistic promise.

Within decades of their first conception, new treatment methods and hospital design concepts emerged and the Kirkbride plan was eventually discarded. Many existing Kirkbride buildings maintained a central place in the institutions which began within their walls, but by the end of the 20th century most had been completely abandoned or demolished. A few have managed to survive into the 21st century intact and still in use, but many that survive sit abandoned and decaying—their mysterious grandeur intensified by their derelict condition. More...

Dr. Kirkbride

Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride was a founding member of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane (AMSAII)—forerunner of the American Psychiatric Association—serving first as secretary, then later as president. Through this association and in his writings, Kirkbride promoted a standardized method of asylum construction and mental health treatment, popularly known as the Kirkbride Plan, which significantly influenced the entire American asylum community during his lifetime. More...

Latest Blog Entries

LIFE Magazine at Worcester State Hospital
28 Nov 2008 -- Google and LIFE Magazine recently arranged a deal whereby LIFE’s vast photo archive will be placed online. You can find a portal to the collection here... read more

Saint Elizabeths Walking Tour
26 Nov 2008 -- The DC Preservation League will be giving a special walking tour of Saint Elizabeths’s historic west campus on December 13th. This is your chance to see the Saint Elizabeths Kirkbride building up close, plus the breathtaking view of Washington DC from the hilltop the Kirkbride sits on! You may not get many more opportunities ... read more

Kirkbride Desktop Wallpaper
24 Nov 2008 -- Things have been really slow in Kirkbride news lately. While there have been some minor developments, they’re really nothing new, definite or exciting—just incremental changes in the status of a few buildings... read more

The Lost Kirkbrides: Agnews State Hospital
14 Nov 2008 -- Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I’ve been busy and haven’t heard anything noteworthy about Kirkbride buildings or related topics in a while... read more

Recent Updates

27 October 2008 - Added an Harrisburg State Hospital Page.

17 June 2008 - Added chapters 51-60 to Kirkbride's book.

19 May 2008 - Added a Cherokee State Hospital Page.

30 Apr 2008 - Expanded the Weston State Hospital Gallery.

24 Mar 2008 - Added an Independence State Hospital Page.

09 Mar 2008 - Added "complete" list of Kirkbride buildings.

Please note that in some instances these buildings are off-limits to the general public and permission must be obtained if you wish to access the property and/or take photographs.