Photo: Mennonite Church USA Archives · No restrictions · via Wikimedia Commons
Asylum · Morris Plains, New Jersey, United States
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital
- Dated
- Dated 1871–76
- Declared purpose
- State lunatic asylum (Kirkbride plan)
- Today
- Main building demolished 2015
Hidden history
Found, Not Built
Once said to be the largest building in the United States by floor area, until the Pentagon. What the photos show is a stone Kirkbride front stretching out of sight.
Huge, then gone
The main Kirkbride building was demolished in 2015 after long debate.
Overcrowded
Records describe thousands of patients by the 1910s. Researchers ask who they were.
Samuel Sloan
Credited to Samuel Sloan, who is linked to dozens of asylums.
Questions worth asking
- Who filled these buildings so quickly?
- Why demolish rather than reuse?
Possible original uses
- A palace or institution of another kind
- A hospital in a broader sense
What the photos show
Civilian Public Service -77, Greystone Park, New Jersey (8365585782)2013-01-09 13:24:18 · No restrictions
Civilian Public Service -77, Greystone Park, New Jersey (8364814599)2013-01-09 15:16:44 · No restrictions
Civilian Public Service -77, Greystone Park, New Jersey (8368329312)2013-01-10 11:54:41 · No restrictions
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Surrounding Buildings
Old buildings nearby in Morris Plains. Compare the stone, the domes and the dates.
Lost Buildings
Neighbours that were torn down or burned. Tap one for its photos.
Further viewing
Episodes from My Lunch Break (Michael Kruse), the main lens for this app. They open on YouTube.
