| Norwich Hospital District | |
| Nrhp Type: | hd |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Location: | CT 12, Norwich-Preston, Connecticut |
| Coordinates: | 41.4892°N -72.0733°W |
| Mapframe: | yes |
| Mapframe-Marker: | hospital |
| Built: | 1903 |
| Architect: | Cudworth & Woodworth |
| Architecture: | Colonial Revival, Late Gothic Revival |
| Added: | January 22, 1988 |
| Refnum: | 87002424 |
The Norwich State Hospital, originally established as the Norwich State Hospital for the Insane, later shortened to the Norwich Hospital, was a psychiatric hospital located in Preston and Norwich, Connecticut. It opened its doors in October 1904[1] and operated until October 10, 1996. Throughout the near century it operated, it housed geriatric patients, chemically dependent patients, and from 1931-1939, tubercular patients. The hospital, which sits on the banks of the Thames River, began with a single building on 100 acres of land, and expanded to over 30 buildings and 900 acres at its peak. A 70 acre property including the hospital was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
After the closure of the hospital in 1996 all remaining patients were transferred out, and the property was left unused and abandoned. Multiple parties expressed interest in the property, and in 2009, the State of Connecticut sold the 393 acres of the Norwich State Hospital site to the town of Preston for $1 and with the sale the town of Preston agreed to perform the needed environmental remediation of the property before any development was to begin on the site.[2] The town of Preston reached an agreement in May 2016 with the Mohegan Tribe to develop the property into the Preston Riverwalk. This is described by the Mohegan Tribe as a "non-gaming destination with outdoor and indoor attractions, hotel and retail space, restaurants, housing, a marine, an RV Park and more".[3]
Currently the grounds of the State Hospital are undergoing remediation and demolition work in preparation for the planned Preston Riverwalk. The Mohegan Tribe has stated that the Administration building will be preserved and restored as part of the project.
In October, 1904 when the hospital first opened, it held 95 patients and was a single building. The facility quickly outgrew its meager beginnings, and by fall of 1905, it held 151 patients and had expanded its housing by adding two additional buildings. The original building was soon converted to administrative offices.[4] In 1907, a third patient building was opened, and over the next eight years, there would be the addition of thirteen structures to the grounds.[5] The hospital began to branch out, no longer creating housing intended only for patients, but for hospital physicians, a laboratory, an employees club, a main kitchen and various other structures to support the every-day workings of the hospital. Like most mental hospitals at that time, it was self-sufficient, a barn, two garages, a paint shop and a greenhouse were also added. By the end of the 1930s, over twenty buildings had been added to the grounds.[6]
To provide an identification system, each building was originally assigned a letter name. The original campus had ward buildings grouped in pairs and designated as "North" for female patients or "South" for male patients. Around 1940, each building was given a name in honor of the founding superintendents of the American Psychiatric Association and well-known mental health advocates such as Thomas Story Kirkbride and Dorothea Dix.[7] Later buildings were named after recognized contributors to the hospital, including Connecticut governors Abraham Ribicoff and John Davis Lodge. The Ronald H. Kettle Center opened in 1960 as the new medical-surgical facility and was the largest building on the property. Built like a general hospital, it reflected the then-modern belief that mental illness could be treated biologically on a short-term stay, thus reducing the need for antiquated long-term care wards. The Ribicoff Research Center was built perpendicular to Kettle to facilitate the discovery of new treatment techniques. Gradually, as the number of patients and employees began to decrease, when a new structure was built, an older one would be closed, and by the early 1970s, only 7 of the original buildings were still in use, the others used for either storage or abandoned completely.[8] As the process of deinstitutionalization progressed, a new law required all patients' cases to be reviewed every two years. This, along with threats of strike from the union, lead to the hospital vacating many more of its buildings in 1979. By the time the hospital closed in 1996, only a fraction of the campus was still operating. All patients were now housed in the Kettle building along with geriatric patients in Seymour. The Gallup building continued to house the Boneski Treatment Center for chemical dependency, and other buildings still in use up to closure included Administration, Lodge, Russell, Ribicoff, the chapel, utility buildings, and employee housing facilities across the street.
Due to the large number to structures and the hundreds of acres they stood on, the majority of buildings were connected by a series of underground passageways. The main purpose of these tunnels were for the utilities, however, they were often used to transport patients from one area to another. In the mid 2000's, the tunnels became a means of transportation for trespassers who hope to explore the grounds of the hospital undetected by the security officers who have been hired by the state to patrol the vacant site.[9]
| Name | Original Name | Year Constructed | Year Closed | Architecture | Sq. Ft. | Original Use | Later Uses | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administration Building | 1908 | 1996 | Late Gothic Revival | 22,391 | Administrative offices | The building has been weatherized and buttoned up to prevent further decay and is being saved for future development. | |||
| Central Theater, Dance Hall, Cafeteria, and Storeroom | Main Building | 1908 | 1996 | Late Gothic Revival | 79,396 | Theater, cafeteria, kitchen, dance hall, storeroom | A 1950s kitchen addition was built on the back of the building that continued to be used until the hospital's closure. | ||
| Lippitt Building | 1920 | 1979 | Colonial Revival | 22,391 | Medical/surgical | Methadone clinic | The second medical/surgical building of its kind in the country.[13] | ||
| Russell Occupational Therapy Building | 1956 | 1996 | Modern | 106,186 | Occupational therapy, recreation, rehabilitative classes | The patient canteen and security office were also housed in the Russell Building.[14] | |||
| Ribicoff Research Center | 1962 | 1996 | Modern | 30,635 | Clinical psychiatric and pathological research laboratory | ||||
| Pond View Building | 1959 | 1996 | Modern | Employee housing[15] | |||||
| Martin House | Outreach | 1930s | 1996 | Colonial Revival | 23,566 | Employee housing | Outreach program, later the Martin House program | The Martin House program provided low-income housing for former psychiatric patients. | |
| Pathway House | Gateway | 1930s | 1996 | Colonial Revival | 23,566 | Employee housing | Gateway program, later Pathway House | Pathway House provided a psychosocial rehabilitation program. | |
| Nurses' Home | 1939 | 1996 | Colonial Revival | Nurses' dormitory | |||||
| Chapel | 1963 | 1996 | Modern | 7,617 | Chapel | A daycare program for children of hospital employees was built but never opened in the newly renovated chapel in 1996. |
| Name | Original Name | Year Constructed | Year Closed | Architecture | Sq. Ft. | Original Use | Later Uses | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald H. Kettle Treatment Center | 1959 | 1997 | Modern | 250,000 | Admissions, medical treatment, and offices[16] | Following the hospital's closure, the Southeastern Connecticut Mental Health Authority occupied this building until 1997.[17] [18] | |||
| Lodge Building | 1956 | 1997 | Modern | 96,395 | Women's treatment center | Continued care facility | Although the last patients moved out in 1994, the Southeastern Connecticut Mental Health Authority occupied this building until 1997. | ||
| Seymour Building | 1939 | 1996 | Colonial Revival | 32,156 | Medical infirmary | Intensive geriatric care and admissions | |||
| Salmon and Awl Buildings | South and North A[19] | 1905 | 1971 | Late Gothic Revival | 24,508 | Male maximum Security / Female parlor ward[20] [21] | |||
| Brigham and Bell Buildings | South and North B | 1907 | 1970s | Late Gothic Revival | 45,840 | Male, female patient housing | Token economy program (Bell) | The last patients moved out of both buildings in 1971. | |
| White and Cutter Buildings | South and North C | 1910s | White: 1956, Cutter: 1967 | Colonial Revival | Male, female patient housing | Storage | In 1975, Cutter was demolished and White was reduced to one story to preserve the underground utilities going to Stribling.[22] | ||
| Stribling and Dix Buildings | South and North D | 1911 | Stribling: 1979, Dix: 1956 | Colonial Revival | 20,086 | Violent male, female patient housing | Storage | ||
| Earle and Butler Buildings | South and North E | 1912 | Earle: 1990s, Butler: 1970s | Colonial Revival | 29,248 | Epileptic male, female patient housing | Maintenance building (Earle), trade school (Butler) | The last patients moved out of both buildings in 1956.[23] | |
| Stedman and Woodward Buildings | South and North F | 1913 | 1980s | Colonial Revival | 31,472 | Male, female patient housing | Housekeeping (Stedman), finance and control classes (Woodward) | The last patients moved out of both buildings in 1971. | |
| Gallup and Mitchell Buildings | South H and North G (see note) | 1926 | Gallup: 1996, Mitchell: 1970s | Colonial Revival | 46,069 | Well-behaved male, female patient housing | Boneski Treatment Center (Gallup), Valiance House (Mitchell)[24] | The Eugene T. Boneski Treatment Center occupied the Gallup Building from 1987 to 1996. A conflicting source labels Gallup and Mitchell as South and North G, however, two other sources group Galt and Mitchell together.[25] | |
| Galt Building | South G | 1922 | 1980s | Colonial Revival | 35,762 | Geriatric male patient housing | Firehouse | The last patients moved out in 1971. | |
| Ray Building | North H | 1926 | 1996 | Colonial Revival | 26,606 | Geriatric female patient housing | Print shop | The last patients moved out in 1979. Ray is identical to Kirkbride. | |
| Kirkbride Building | South K | 1926 | 1996 | Colonial Revival | 26,606 | Geriatric male patient housing | Red Cross shelter[26] | The last patients moved out in 1979. Kirkbride is identical to Ray. Despite its name, the building was not designed under the Kirkbride Plan. | |
| Bryan Building | 1936 | 1979 | Colonial Revival | 26,606 | Geriatric patient housing | Adolescent clinic | The building was originally the New London County Temporary Home, but was purchased by the hospital and dedicated in 1949.[27] | ||
| The Pines | 1921 | Tubercular patient housing | Originally called the "Tubercular Pavilion," the building was closed and demolished after the Seymour Building opened. |
The hospital was listed on the National Register in 1988. The NRHP listing included 40 contributing buildings and two contributing structures on 70 acres. It includes work by architects Cudworth & Woodworth. It includes Colonial Revival and Late Gothic Revival architecture.
The district was deemed historically significant as illustrating a historic view of mental health treatment.[28]
In 1996, when Norwich State Hospital was closed, the State Department of Public Works (DPW) became responsible for the property. In 2005, after several unsuccessful attempts to sell the property, The DPW proposed the sale of of the former hospital's campus to the town of Preston, and to the town of Norwich for one dollar. Both towns were given three years to close the transfer of the property.[29]
In March, 2009, the town of Preston purchased of the property offered to them by the state. In spring of 2009, the Preston Redevelopment Agency was created to oversee the development of the newly acquired property. According to the sale agreement, the state would provide for the security presence, maintenance and insurance of the property until March, 2010, at which point the town of Preston would take responsibility for the cost of these, as well as begin the property cleanup.[30]
Since the DPW first made an offer to the town of Preston to purchase a portion of the Norwich State Hospital, several proposals have been submitted for the use of the property. One of the earliest proposals was submitted by Utopia Studios, and was approved in May 2006. Utopia promised an entertainment complex consisting of a theme park, 4,200 hotel rooms, a performing arts school and a movie studio. The projected cost of this project was around $1.6 billion and was viewed favorably by the voters. However, in November of the same year, the proposal was canceled by the town due to Utopia missing several key deadlines and, most importantly, failing to place $53 million in escrow as agreed.[30]
In 2008, two developers, Northlang Investment Corporation and Preston Gateway Partners LLC, sought for approval to develop the land. The town accepted Northland's proposal for a billion-dollar luxury resort, but in November 2008, this plan was ended as well. Since then, eight additional developers have submitted proposals to develop the property, but as of March 2010 no agreement has been reached.[31] [32]
The property, which has become known as the Preston Riverwalk, had been considered for a project by the town's parks and recreation department. This would have included a public access park for bird-watching, fishing and various other outdoor activities. On May 13, 2016, the Mohegan Tribe reached an agreement with Town of Preston to purchase the land. According to the Hartford Courant,[33] the land will be used "for office, retail, entertainment, recreation and possibly housing." It will not become tribal land, meaning that whatever is built there will be a source of state and local tax revenue.
The Norwich State Hospital is listed on both the state and national historic register as a place of architectural and historical significance and thus many of the buildings, grounds, and infrastructure can not be removed (or even cleaned of medical waste material) without exception from both state and federal historical authorities.
Demolition on the property began in Spring 2011, with the intentional caving-in of the service tunnels surrounding the Administration building. The Salmon, Awl, and the Cafeteria-Theater buildings were demolished by end of 2011. In 2012, the Ribicoff, the Power Plant, Chapel buildings along with several cottages were demolished. Demolition continued through November 2014, exposing the interior stairwell of the Kettle building which was featured in The Day.[34] All interior roadways were stripped of asphalt by mid-late 2018 and a major excavation commenced near the site of the Lodge building.
The Administration Building has been weatherized to prevent further decay and will be saved for future development.[35] In late 2020 the discovery of buried coal ash and its mandated remediation have required more funding to complete the cleanup. By August 2021, all buildings on the Preston side of the campus have been demolished except for the Ray, Gallup, and Mitchell buildings. A time capsule was discovered within the Russell Occupational Therapy building. The Preston Redevelopment Agency proposed transferring this time capsule to the local historical society.[36]
Preston Redevelopment Agency stated in October 2023 that all remaining structures would stand until the property is transferred to the Mohegan Tribe. The Mohegan Tribe stated that the only structure that will be preserved once development begins is the Administration building.[37] As of May 2024, remediation activities continue at the site.[38]
Episodes two and four of season one of VH1's Celebrity Paranormal Project were filmed at the mental hospital though most likely to protect the place it was referred to as Warson Asylum for the Criminally Insane during both episodes.
The Norwich State Hospital was featured in the TV series Life After People, in the episode titled "Crypt of Civilization", which aired on January 19, 2010.
Syfy Channel's Ghost Hunters paranormal investigating team explored the location in their sixth season which aired May 5, 2010.[39]