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Article Content OSHRP Photo Gallery
Decrepit buildings
The Oregon State Hospital was one of the oldest and most decrepit of mental health facilities in the nation. The campus buildings comprised 1.2 million square feet, of which 40 percent or 970,000 square feet had become unusable, as water leaked from roofs, walls had crumbled and asbestos and lead presented a toxic hazard. The oldest part of the four-story "J Building" opened in 1883, with the balance of the structure completed during the 30 years that followed.
Tunnels
The psychiatric hospital complex rested on 147 acres that spanned both sides of Center Street. A 1.87-mile tunnel system, which had connected all but one of the buildings, was convenient for transporting linens, wood for heating and later, delivering meals prepared in the kitchen on the south campus to patients living on the north. Initially, items were transported in bamboo carts that hospital staff would push along a narrow gauge rail. The hospital replaced the rail system with motorized carts and bicycles in the early 1960s.
Building 46 demolition
The dismantling of the oldest hospital structures began in April 2009 with Building 46, constructed in 1888. This southern wing was part of the palatial brick fortress used in filming the 1975 Oscar-winning movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest."The historically significant portion of the building, now known as the Kirkbride, was preserved, remodeled and incorporated into the design of the new hospital.
Cottages
The Oregon State Hospital owns 22 cottages located on its south Salem campus. In 2008, the replacement project team began to remodel and make ADA accessible, six of the cottages for use as transitional patient housing. The cottages, which opened in February 2009, provide a step-down or an interim placement between the institutional and community settings. A cottage can accommodate either five or up to eight patients. In addition to interior work, the exteriors of the cottages were painted with colors that reflect the period when they were originally constructed between 1909 and 1958.
Ground breaking
The official groundbreaking for the new Oregon State Hospital was Sept, 3, 2008. The outdoor ceremony drew more than 400 people, including hospital patients and staff, mental health advocates and providers, community partners, legislators, union representatives, City of Salem officials, historic preservationists, and neighborhood association members. The Salem hospital was completed on time in December 2011. |
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