Kirkbride Building tour prepares officials

Oct. 18--A group of people who have been in discussions on making part of the Kirkbride Building into a treatment center for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder took a tour of the facility Monday.

They had to sign waivers and wear dust masks before entering the historical structure cherished by many residents of Fergus Falls and its vicinity. Meanwhile, construction crews continued to dig up the campus in the front of the building. They are replacing sewer and water pipes before December arrives -- so there is enough time for the city to get reimbursed by the state for the work.

Laurie Mullen of Friends of the Kirkbride led the tour Monday.

Most of the people on the tour work in the mental health field in Fergus Falls.

Over the years the building was called the Fergus Falls State Hospital or Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center -- before its present name of Kirkbride Building. The state Legislature commissioned the structure in 1885 in response to appalling conditions at hospitals in St. Peter and Rochester for people with developmental disabilities.

It is designed by Thomas Kirkbride with the intent on having a central administrative building with wings on each side to provide uniformity, order and plenty of outside light. The Fergus Falls State Hospital was among the last Kirkbride structures in the United States. Experts who have seen other Kirkbride structures say the one in Fergus Falls remains in excellent condition by comparison.

"This is the most complete Kirkbride building still standing and is one of the 10 most endangered historic places in Minnesota," Mullen said.

Construction of the building began in 1888 with the west end. Work on the administration building began in 1895, and the tower itself was done in 1906, she said. The east side was done in 1899.

The building is one third of a mile long with three floors, plus a fourth floor that has slanted ceilings, plus an attic and a full basement. There is a gymnasium that doubles as an auditorium. Underground tunnels connect all but one of the outbuilding with the main building.

Together, the structure offers 500,000 square feet, Mullen said. It was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 1986. The facility closed in 2005. The city took ownership in 2007, and it was completely vacated in 2009.

A small stone building to the east was called the pestilence house for patients with diseases. More than 3,200 people are buried in the cemetery to the northeast, though about 550 graves are marked.

Mullen pointed out the post office, the pharmacy, the main dining room, the details on the grand staircase, the administrative offices and details such as jasper tile flooring. She also noted the problem of vandalism.

"The campus was a self-sustaining community -- a small town -- of 1,100 acres," she said. "The staff included not only doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, dentists but also carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters, even a key man whose full-time job consisted of maintaining all the keys and locks throughout the campus."

The facility had a farm, too. There were 200 head of cattle and 1,200 hogs. By 1953, there were 650 acres of tilled land, pasture land, plum and apple orchards and 35 acres of gardens and 20 varieties of vegetables. In the 1960s, due to the mechanization of farm machinery, the state decided to close the farm and sell the animals and machinery.

The second newest building on campus is the auditorium which doubles as a gym. It was built in 1963. Mullen pointed out how the wooden floor is a parquet floor.

The basement had a cafe, bank, library, barber shop, beauty shop and a woodworking shop.

The group visited day rooms, with a station for nurses. They also stepped to outside areas on the upper floors.

In the tower, the first floor was the administration area. The second floor was the superintendent's apartment. The third floor had two apartments for the first and second assistant physicians and a dining room for doctors. The fourth floor was the hospital hotel, with sleeping rooms for visiting physicians and other guests. A kitchen in the basement of the tower provided food to the other floors via a dumbwaiter.

Mullen said the building was designed to house 1,000. The population in March 1937 reached its zenith with 2,078 patients and only 264 staff members.

"Due to the stigma of mental illness, many of these people were not welcomed back to their homes and communities even if they could have been discharged. They were allowed to live out their lives here. Many of them are buried in the State Hospital cemetery and were forgotten people," she said.

The largest the employee base got was 850, Mullen said.

Members on the tour are meeting regularly, including one this afternoon, and will share their thoughts about the Kirkbride interior. They said they have received favorable responses from the public to the idea of the Kirkbride being used for treating victims of PTSD and other similar disorders such as traumatic brain injury.

___

(c)2016 the Fergus Falls Daily Journal (Fergus Falls, Minn.)

Visit the Fergus Falls Daily Journal (Fergus Falls, Minn.) at www.fergusfallsjournal.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.