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241:. The hospital was established in 1848 to treat patients from anywhere in the state, but by 1905, with the establishment of psychiatric hospitals in other parts of Indiana, Central State served only the counties in the middle of the state. In 1950, it had 2,500 patients. Allegations of abuse, funding shortfalls, and the move to less institutional methods of treatment led to its closure in 1994. Since then efforts have been made to redevelop the site for various uses.
27:
422:. The three more modern wards (Evans, Bolton, and Bahr) were built in 1974 when the others were demolished. The oldest building on the property is the old power house, built in 1886. The Administration building, which was built in 1938, is now the structure most commonly associated with the hospital, although it never housed patients. In 2005, the Beckmann Theatre was granted temporary occupancy of the 1895 Laundry Building for staging its production of
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277:); a hospital for the "sick insane" for the treatment of physical ailments; a farm colony where patients engaged in "occupational therapy"; a chapel; an amusement hall complete with an auditorium, billiards, and bowling alleys; a bakery; a firehouse; a cannery staffed by patients; and idyllic gardens and fountains.
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In
December 2006, the city approved the sale the Central State Hospital site to a developer for just over $ 2 million. The developer began further negotiations with the city to determine the future uses, including apartments, shops, and green space. About six months later the developers sought to buy
452:
In late 2013, several buildings, including the former
Administrative Building as well as the prominent Powerhouse, were purchased by a company known for refurbishing buildings otherwise left to waste. The project to turn the administrative building into student apartments began in January 2014, with
417:
The grounds of
Central State Hospital were still largely vacant as of 2011. In place of the demolished Women's Ward (Seven Steeples) is a large lawn. There are approximately ten buildings on the grounds that were associated with the hospital. The Pathology Department building, built in 1895, is well
261:
authorized the establishment of a "hospital for the insane" as early as 1827, but the actual construction of a facility was delayed for several years. The
Indiana Hospital for the Insane finally opened in November 1848 with a total of five patients. At that time, the hospital consisted of one brick
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By the early 1970s, most of the hospital's ostentatious buildings had been declared unsound and razed. The Men's
Department Building (not a Kirkbride design, but instead known as Straight Block, although it had the same goal of providing patients with access to a window for sunlight and fresh air)
303:, thereby relieving an overcrowded Central State Hospital of some of its patient load and leaving it to treat only those from the "central district", an area of 38 counties situated in the middle portion of the state. In 1950 the patient population reached 2,500; its largest capacity.
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had already been demolished over 12 years ending in 1941. In their place, the state constructed brick buildings of a nondescript, institutional genre. These modern buildings and the medical staff therein continued to serve the state's mentally ill until allegations of
444:
In March 2003, the city of
Indianapolis purchased the property from the state for $ 400,000. The land that was acquired consists of 160 acres (0.65 km) located on the city's westside at the 2800-3300 blocks of West Washington Street.
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some students moving in by
September 2014 as construction continued. The building is now named Central State Mansion and retains original features of the architecture as well as decorations suggestive of its history.
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William
Baldwin Fletcher (1837–1907) – superintendent from 1883 to 1887, when he was fired; known for destroying mechanical restraints in an 1885 bonfire and opposing staff appointments influenced by politics
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John Zwara (1880–1951) – trained as an artist in Prague and Berlin; created watercolor paintings of the hospital as a patient in 1936; admitted to the hospital by
Alexander Vonnegut, the son of
270:. In 1889, the hospital was renamed the Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane. After 1926 it was known as Central State Hospital, and by 1928, physicians cared for nearly 2,500 patients.
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From 1848 to 1948, the hospital grew yearly until it encompassed two massive ornate buildings (one for male and one for female patients); a pathological department (which now hosts the
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For a half-century, these complex buildings and gardens housed mentally ill patients from all regions of
Indiana. By 1905, however, the state had built mental health institutions in
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Riah Fagan Cox (1892–1977) – wrote a short story, "I Remember Jones", in 1950 about the treatment she experienced at the hospital in the 1940s; her daughter, Jane Cox, was
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As of December 2022, only three of the original structures remain: the 1886 power plant, the 1895 pathology building, and a building of unidentified use.
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The more ornate of the two massive buildings became known as "Seven Steeples". This building, which housed female patients, was designed using the
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and funding troubles sparked an effort to forge new alternatives to institutionalization, which, in turn, led to the hospital's closure in 1994.
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Walter Bruetsch (1896–1977) – educated in Switzerland and Germany; hired in the 1920s to be the chief pathologist of the Pathological Department
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Albert Thayer – Civil war veteran who published exposés about the poor treatment of patients at the hospital after being discharged in 1884
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https://www.in.gov/iara/divisions/state-archives/collections/central-state-hospital-collection-index/sarah-stockton-md1842-1924/
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George F. Edenharter (1857–1923) – superintendent from 1893 to 1923; involved in the establishment of a
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606:"Patient Abuse." Indiana Archives and Records Administration. State of Indiana. Accessed May 3, 2023.
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James Athon – superintendent in 1857 when patients were sent home due to a lack of funding
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Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
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580:"Central State Hospital." Bookmark Indy. Indiana Humanities. Accessed May 3, 2023.
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38:. The reason given is: Further information on the redevelopment project is needed..
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building situated on a large parcel of land of over 100 acres (0.40 km) on
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Cox, Riah Fagan. "I Remember Jones." Indiana Medical History Museum. 1950.
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another 33 acres (130,000 m) from the city, at a cost of $ 223,500.
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Max A. Bahr (1872–1953) – superintendent from 1923 to 1952; trained as a
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Shook Over Hell: Post-Traumatic Stress, Vietnam, and the Civil War
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https://www.imhm.org/resources/Pictures/I%20Remember%20Jones.pdf
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Dwyer, Ellen, and Norma Erickson. "Central State Hospital." In
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Central State Documentary, History, Legends, and Building Map
724:"City gives OK to $ 2.1 million sale of Central State site",
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https://bookmarkindy.com/locations/central-state-hospital/
16:
Former psychiatric hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
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Fractured Intentions: A History of Central State Hospital
440:
Map showing the buildings on the grounds of Central State
426:. More recently, the building was used for storing cars.
382:
Under the Cloud: Or, Personal Reminiscences of Insanity
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https://indyencyclopedia.org/william-baldwin-fletcher/
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Hazelrigg, Charles O. "William Baldwin Fletcher." In
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Indiana Historical Society (photo of Seven Steeples)
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https://indyencyclopedia.org/central-state-hospital/
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754:"Plans for Central State's rebirth taking shape",
536:https://indyencyclopedia.org/george-f-edenharter/
530:Hazelrigg, Charles O. "George F. Edenharter." In
473:List of hospitals in Indianapolis § Defunct
363:Sarah Stockton (1842–1924) – graduated from the
253:Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane, c. 1903
619:McDonell, Katherine Mandusic. "John Zwara." In
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838:. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
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847:. Westfield, Indiana: Unseenpress.com, Inc.
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237:, was a psychiatric treatment hospital in
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739:"City selling more Central State land",
625:https://indyencyclopedia.org/john-zwara/
553:https://indyencyclopedia.org/max-a-bahr/
547:Hazelrigg, Charles O. "Max A. Bahr." In
1132:Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital
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365:Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania
235:Central Indiana Hospital for the Insane
1217:Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center
1187:Eastern Michigan Asylum for the Insane
1030:Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital
670:. City of Indianapolis. Archived from
335:building; which currently houses the
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458:Central State: Asylum for the Insane
380:Anna Agnew – published a biography,
1340:Callan Park Hospital for the Insane
1060:Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital
702:. December 6, 2006. Archived from
284:for mental healthcare facilities.
57:Hospital in Indiana, United States
14:
1299:Eastern Washington State Hospital
1258:Central State Hospital (Kentucky)
1091:Central State Hospital (Virginia)
1365:Psychiatric hospitals in Indiana
1212:Cherokee Mental Health Institute
1112:Central State Hospital (Indiana)
429:The Indiana State Archives, the
68:
25:
864:Historic Asylums Archive Photos
1253:Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
420:Indiana Medical History Museum
337:Indiana Medical History Museum
275:Indiana Medical History Museum
233:, formerly referred to as the
223:Hospitals in the United States
212:Indiana Medical History Museum
1:
1375:Hospitals established in 1896
1294:Eastern Oregon State Hospital
1137:Mount Pleasant State Hospital
843:Kobrowski, Nicole R. (2014).
757:Indianapolis Business Journal
742:Indianapolis Business Journal
727:Indianapolis Business Journal
1096:Spring Grove Hospital Center
775:"Central State (Video 2006)"
694:"Central State grounds sold"
621:Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
549:Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
532:Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
515:Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
498:Encyclopedia of Indianapolis
1172:Independence State Hospital
1117:Jacksonville State Hospital
1040:Hudson River State Hospital
978:Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge
668:"Central State Reuse Study"
1396:
1370:Healthcare in Indianapolis
1025:Northampton State Hospital
346:and known for his work in
1157:Osawatomie State Hospital
1015:Harrisburg State Hospital
1010:New Jersey State Hospital
534:. Revised February 2021,
517:. Revised February 2021,
418:preserved and houses the
89:2800–3300 blocks of West
76:
67:
34:This article needs to be
1304:Mendocino State Hospital
1202:Northern Michigan Asylum
1167:Winnebago State Hospital
1142:St. Peter State Hospital
1127:Wisconsin State Hospital
1065:Worcester State Hospital
764:. IBJ Newsbank Archives.
1268:Arkansas State Hospital
1197:Clarinda State Hospital
1192:Kankakee State Hospital
1182:Columbus State Hospital
1086:St. Elizabeths Hospital
1045:Danville State Hospital
983:Richard Snowden Andrews
801:"Digital Story Telling"
1273:Terrell State Hospital
1238:Jackson State Hospital
1233:Western State Hospital
1070:Danvers State Hospital
1050:Buffalo State Hospital
1035:Dixmont State Hospital
1020:Taunton State Hospital
927:Thomas Story Kirkbride
834:Dean, Eric T. (1997).
638:"The Beckmann Theatre"
551:. Revised March 2021,
500:. Revised March 2021,
441:
414:
339:, which opened in 1896
254:
231:Central State Hospital
63:Central State Hospital
1319:Patton State Hospital
1314:Oregon State Hospital
1289:Agnews State Hospital
1243:Austin State Hospital
1207:Nevada State Hospital
1177:Athens Lunatic Asylum
1162:Topeka State Hospital
1122:Dayton State Hospital
1055:Warren State Hospital
623:. Revised July 2021,
439:
431:Indiana State Library
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350:and the treatment of
344:clinical psychiatrist
268:downtown Indianapolis
252:
239:Indianapolis, Indiana
95:Indianapolis, Indiana
1335:Nova Scotia Hospital
1152:Elgin State Hospital
706:on February 17, 2015
413:The 1886 Power Plant
175:Psychiatric hospital
1309:Napa State Hospital
1147:Anna State Hospital
348:forensic psychiatry
259:Indiana legislature
125:39.7693°N 86.2112°W
121: /
1263:Broughton Hospital
908:The Kirkbride Plan
811:on October 8, 2009
781:. October 21, 2006
760:, August 13, 2007
730:, December 7, 2006
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996:Notable buildings
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648:on August 2, 2008
264:Washington Street
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91:Washington Street
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1359:Categories
1282:West Coast
946:Architects
922:Physicians
479:References
293:Logansport
289:Evansville
266:, west of
171:Speciality
152:Specialist
116:86°12′40″W
113:39°46′09″N
46:April 2021
1003:Northeast
934:Advocates
333:pathology
81:Geography
815:March 1,
785:March 1,
779:IMDb.com
710:March 1,
652:April 1,
467:See also
375:Patients
301:Richmond
158:Services
86:Location
1105:Midwest
297:Madison
245:History
207:Website
181:History
36:updated
915:People
424:Asylum
299:, and
194:Closed
186:Opened
1226:South
219:Lists
202:Links
817:2015
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