The Kirkbride Chronicle
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Recent Posts
Exclusive preservationist spotlight interviews from our Heroes of Preservation
series, in-depth articles from the desk of Dr. Robert Kirkbride on Kirkbrides, and all
the latest happenings at PreservationWorks.
Robert Duffy – Greystone Memorial & Danvers Memorial
What do you consider to be unique about your specific building compared to other Kirkbrides? Greystone’s beauty and massive size. It’s pre-fire, ornate roofline and admin facade was very unique for Kirkbride asylums. What has been your greatest challenge in preservation? Navigating local, state and federal laws and regulations, a major but necessary drag on
Kirkbride Plan Hospitals Featured at University of Amsterdam’s Sensory Decay Symposium
Recently, scents and sounds from Kirkbride Plan hospitals traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and into the Sensory Decay Symposium, an interdisciplinary conference about multisensorial, experimental archaeology hosted by the University of Amsterdam’s School of Heritage, Memory and Material Culture. According to conference organizers Pamela Jordan and Sara Mura, the Symposium aimed to enrich our understanding
Transforming Memory: An Adaptive Reuse Studio for Three Kirkbride Plan Hospitals
Part One The Costs of Forgetting When considering the futures of the 36 remaining Kirkbride Plan hospitals for the mentally ill, it may be tempting to argue that structures with such disturbing histories should be demolished “out of respect for the former patients.” On one level this reaction is understandable. Although awe-inspiring, these are buildings
Gene & Maxine Schmidt – Fergus Falls State Hospital – Fergus Falls, MN
What do you consider to be unique about your specific building compared to other Kirkbrides? Our Castle on the Hill is still standing!! What has been your greatest challenge in preservation? Convincing our city leaders this historic Kirkbride has value and should not be demolished. How did your community react to the idea of restoration,
New Model for an Old Dilemma?
Thoughts on “Treat, Release and Repeat”: Season 3, Episode 2 of VICE (Showtime) Directly or indirectly, each of us has experienced the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the mental well-being of our families and loved ones, our friends, our students, our communities, and ourselves. The pandemic has exacerbated the numerous ills of an
Challenges Pandemics Present to Psychiatric Hospitals and the Risks of Repressing Histories
The Covid-19 pandemic has wrought havoc at scales that are simultaneously global, national, communal and personal. The challenges presented to our mental well-being are profound, and the consequences of the 1918 Influenza pandemic suggest that we will be addressing the psychical impacts of our current crisis for years to come. Are we prepared? In my
Joe Williams – 10 Wilmington Place – Dayton, OH
What do you consider to be unique about your specific building compared to other Kirkbrides? Everything about our building is unique. In fact, that is our tag line “Unique Senior Living”. Here’s the website link https://www.10wilmingtonplace.com/. I’m not that familiar with many other Kirkbrides, but from what I understand, all are very unique. One of