Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
Asylum · Danvers, Massachusetts, United States
Danvers State Hospital
- Dated
- Dated 1874–78
- Declared purpose
- State lunatic hospital (Kirkbride plan)
- Today
- Mostly demolished 2006
- Architect of record
- Nathaniel J. Bradlee, architect: about 45 when credited (1874, born 1829). Build time on record: about 4 years (1874–78).All architects of record →
Hidden history
Found, Not Built
A Gothic Kirkbride on a hilltop, largely demolished in 2006 for apartments. People still talk about its tunnels.
Tunnels
A network of tunnels linked the buildings. Researchers ask why so many asylums had them.
Demolished in our lifetime
Most of it came down in 2006. Only the shell of the center was kept.
Questions worth asking
- Where do the tunnels go?
- Why tear down a landmark of this size?
Possible original uses
- Hospital
- Hilltop institutional palace
What the photos show
Danvers State Hospital, Danvers, Massachusetts, Kirkbride Complex, circa 1893circa 1893date QS:P,+189 · Public domain
Danvers, Newbury Street, Danvers Insane Asylum, exterior, by Frank Cousins, c. 1865-1914, from the Digital Commonwealth - commonwealth 2b88r6648between circa 1865 and c · Public domain
Surrounding Buildings
Old buildings nearby in Danvers. Compare the stone, the domes and the dates.
Lost Buildings
Neighbours that were torn down or burned. Tap one for its photos.
Research
Further viewing
Episodes from My Lunch Break (Michael Kruse), the main lens for this app. They open on YouTube.
