Monday, March 28, 2016
Hudson River State Hospital is a "Victorian Gothic" styled Kirkbride Hospital for the Insane which was constructed in New York in 1868 and opened on October 18, 1871. Construction took over 25 years to complete and was heavily criticized for cost overruns and delays. It operated until 2003 when facilities were consolidated with other local hospitals and it has been abandoned ever since. Demolition is set to begin any day now.
A detailed history of this site is beyond my current means but Wikipedia covers the history here pretty well. Suffice it to say this place is huge (it was originally 750 acres) and by now is pretty well destroyed.
This is part one of an epic 7 part, 2,600 mile, road trip. Stay tuned..
Labels: 1800s, architecture, asylum, historic, hospital, insane, institutional, kirkbride, New York