Hutchinson State Hospital
The property of the Hutchinson State Hospital was not initially intended for a state hospital. Three buildings had already been constructed to be an industrial prison farm. It was decided in 1924 that the site will no longer be a prison but now a state hospital. It was opened in April of 1924 with 24 patients being admitted.
The 1920's was a period of great expansion for the hospital center. Many additional buildings, including a school of nursing, are added to the campus. The main state route that ran through the campus was also to be reconstructed to hug the outskirts of the campus instead of straight through. Like most state hospitals, this facility was self-sustaining, basically a town within itself.
The Hutchinson State Hospital was the first hospital to see the use of insulin shock treatment. In 1926, Dr. Manfred Sakal came to the hospital from Vienna to demonstrate the method a group of physicians from various institutions. The hospital then became a teaching hospital for the treatment for other facilities across the United States. The 1950's and 60's saw the highest population in the hospital's history. A record patient census of 5,818 was recorded in 1952. Farm operations came to a halt in 1960, thus removing the status of a self-sustaining hospital. The most recent building constructed was in 1966 and was deemed a state-of-the-art medical/surgical building.
Unlike the previous centuries, the 1970's introduced the downfall of the hospital. In 1971, 3 buildings were closed and sold to a private developmental center for use one year later. Even with the advent of modern medicine and patient population declining, the hospital was recognized as a leader in the state mental health care system in 1984. By the mid-1990's, state hospitals were getting destroyed by state budgets and getting labeled as reminders of a dark past. The hospital officially closed down in January 1994, just shy of 70 years in operation.
In 2013, the shuttered hospital campus was purchased by a management company to become a satellite campus for a University. Their website claims the campus was holding classes in 2016, but with no actual evidence to prove it. Re-done buildings are now crumbling once again as the cycle of decay repeats itself.
Read MoreThe 1920's was a period of great expansion for the hospital center. Many additional buildings, including a school of nursing, are added to the campus. The main state route that ran through the campus was also to be reconstructed to hug the outskirts of the campus instead of straight through. Like most state hospitals, this facility was self-sustaining, basically a town within itself.
The Hutchinson State Hospital was the first hospital to see the use of insulin shock treatment. In 1926, Dr. Manfred Sakal came to the hospital from Vienna to demonstrate the method a group of physicians from various institutions. The hospital then became a teaching hospital for the treatment for other facilities across the United States. The 1950's and 60's saw the highest population in the hospital's history. A record patient census of 5,818 was recorded in 1952. Farm operations came to a halt in 1960, thus removing the status of a self-sustaining hospital. The most recent building constructed was in 1966 and was deemed a state-of-the-art medical/surgical building.
Unlike the previous centuries, the 1970's introduced the downfall of the hospital. In 1971, 3 buildings were closed and sold to a private developmental center for use one year later. Even with the advent of modern medicine and patient population declining, the hospital was recognized as a leader in the state mental health care system in 1984. By the mid-1990's, state hospitals were getting destroyed by state budgets and getting labeled as reminders of a dark past. The hospital officially closed down in January 1994, just shy of 70 years in operation.
In 2013, the shuttered hospital campus was purchased by a management company to become a satellite campus for a University. Their website claims the campus was holding classes in 2016, but with no actual evidence to prove it. Re-done buildings are now crumbling once again as the cycle of decay repeats itself.
