In the Light

The side room of the bath house had shelves on the back wall, all labeled with white tape though the writing had faded long ago so it was hard to tell what was once stored there. We had a perfect day however and the lighting in the bath house was beautiful.

Sink Into the Past

The bath house at Camp Columbia had certainly seen better days and I had a feeling that this room had been set up for a shot by another photographer, but I will never know for sure. It didn't matter. The colors, textures, and general feeling of a time gone by when Columbia students rushed in and out of this building on their way to various activities.

Barring Your Dreams of the World Outside

Seeing Hudson River Psychiatric for the first time was, to say the least, breathtaking. It is by far one of the most beautiful Kirkbrides I have ever seen with its stained glass and elaborate metal bars on the windows. Even the portions that were damaged by fire were gorgeous as much of the architectural detail remained intact.

Worcester State Hospital

For one time, and one time only, my blog will not contain a photo! Rather, it will contain the link to Associated Content where I have published an article on the demolition of Worcester State Hospital. Every click counts so please view and take the time to vote on my article. Happy reading!

Kirkbride Revisited

Since I had to go to the Bryan Building for a meeting today, I decided to stop and take some photos of what little is left of Worcester State. The woman I met with, Anne Azier who is the head of nursing, showed me the electronic slide show of the new hospital plan that is being shown in the lobby of the Bryan Building. The state of the art facility will sprawl across the entire campus, right behind the Clocktower which is one of two buildings that will not be demolished (the other is the Hooper Turret, one of the round day rooms to the left of the Clocktower). The new complex will hold 326 beds and a portion of it resembles a mini Kirkbride from the sky.

Copper Rain

This photo is strikingly reminiscent of the cuppola at Northampton State Hospital. The cuppolas are made of copper and are therefore worth quite a bit of money, so they are very often salvaged and sold during demolition.

An Old Friend Injured

Demolition began on Worcester State Hospital about three months ago. I was there today for an interview in the Bryan Building and of course stopped to watch the progress of construction. The piece above is all that is left of the wards. One small corner, only four walls, is all that still stands and it won't be there much longer.