Empirepex '09

10/24/2009

This Victorian-Gothic beauty was the second Kirkbride I explored. Hidden among the rolling hills of a certain state in the northeast, construction on this hospital began in 1868. Expensive materials such as southern yellow pine were used for the flooring, and by 1871 the first patients began to occupy this vast building. As time passed, many modernizations had to be made as plumbing and heating became widely available, turning the basement into a confusing labyrinth of pipes and narrow corridors.

One of the most interesting things about this structure is its design. Unlike most Kirkbrides, which contain a central administration building flanked by three symmetrical wings radiating off the center, this building had asymmetrical wings. The male wing was far longer than the female wing, in anticipation of there being more male patients than female.

 As de-institutionalization took hold in the 50's, the hospital began to shut down in phases. As far back as the 70's, there were reports of collapses in the end wards of the male wing. Amazingly, this was happening as patients were still being kept in the Kirkbride. Soon after, the wings were emptied and the admin was used until about 2001 when the campus was finally vacated. Tragedy struck in 2007, when "lightening" struck the roof of the male wing and caused a massive fire. The entire wing with the exception of the two end-wards was gutted, and the property remains in a state of limbo to this day.

I'll never forget the smell of the building as we trudged through mud and wet leaves towards the burnt out shell of the male wing. Unfortunately we'd chosen a day where one of the biggest nor'easters in recent history had decided to strike, and our small group was drenched to the skin in pouring rain. Shivering in the cold October wind, I followed Aerofennec up the fire escape steps and into the ruins of the (somewhat) intact end-ward. From here, we navigated the majority of the male wing and reached the breezeway to admin. Luck however, wasn't on our side as the property manager showed up right then (even in the pouring fucking rain) and proceeded to hunt us for the next two hours.

We tunneled out of the Kirk to a patient dorm down the hill to escape. Upon reaching this building and heading up to the top floor, we looked out a window to see the manager's truck parked outside. The next thing we noticed was that the front door of the building was open..."SHIT! RUN!!". Back up the hill we went, safely making it out of the Kirk and heading off for some well deserved food.

A few hours later we hit the road to our next location. The weather still wasn't cooperating in the slightest, and by the time we reached this hospital, if anything, it had intensified. The wind and rain beat down on us unrelentingly as I slipped between the links of the fence and scurried for the yawning portal of a broken door on the side of the building.

The history on this psychiatric center is murky, but its origins can be traced back as far as 1874. It functions as a psychiatric center to this day, although it's far more scaled back than it was in previous times. Many of the buildings on property have been repurposed for various uses throughout the years, while a handful have remained abandoned. Stepping into the former psychotic building, one of the first sights we were greeted with was stack upon stack of pine coffins. A disquieting reminder that many of the patients that called this building "home" never left.

The upper floors contained many seclusion and isolation rooms. The stairwells were caged off in certain areas in order to prevent movement of the patients, and the windows covered in heavy mesh and bars. The floors were extensively collapsed, and absolute concentration was required while walking from room to room.

Above: Collapse

Above: Desks

Above: Patient Room

Above: Self-Portrait