Chestnut Lodge
Encyclopedia
Chestnut Lodge was a historic building in Rockville, Maryland
, United States
, well known as a psychiatric institution. It was a contributing property to the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District
.
and 40 luxurious guest rooms and was extremely successful, catering for rich visitors from Washington DC who often boarded in the hotel during the summer months.
After a decade or so of prosperity, however, the fortunes of the Woodlawn Hotel declined as many of its semi-permanent residents moved into new houses in Rockville. In 1906 the hotel's owners were heavily in debt and were forced to sell the building and grounds at public auction
. The hotel was purchased by Dr. Ernest L. Bullard, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, a surgeon
and professor of psychiatry
and neurology
. Bullard renovated the building and re-opened it in 1910 as a sanatorium
for the care of nervous and mental diseases, re-naming it Chestnut Lodge after the 125 chestnut trees that grew in the grounds.
For many years, Bullard was the sole physician working at the Lodge, but over the next 75 years a total of three generations of the Bullard family operated the private hospital. Many nationally renowned therapists, including Frieda Fromm-Reichmann
, Wayne Fenton
, Thomas McGlashan
, Harold Searles
, and Otto Allen Will, Jr.
, worked at the hospital over the years. The hospital was the site for a series of influential studies on the long-term treatment outcome for psychiatric conditions, known as the Chestnut Lodge studies .
In the 1950s
and 1960s
, innovative dance therapist Marian Chace had regularly scheduled sessions with groups of patients. Judith Richardson Bunney followed her in this work. In the 1960s and 1970s
, Donn B. Murphy
conducted a drama group for patients.
In 1997 the lodge was purchased by CPC Health, and passed hands again to the Washington Waldorf School in 2001 when CPC Health declared bankruptcy. In December 2003, the property was conveyed to Chestnut Lodge Properties, Inc.
In 2008 the property was approved for conversion to condominiums (inside the main building) and upscale housing. The grove of chestnut trees and some original building façades were to be preserved. But at around 3am on June 7, 2009, the building was destroyed by fire. Montgomery County
Fire Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer says the unoccupied, multi-story brick structure collapsed in the Sunday morning blaze. He said the building was unoccupied and no one was injured. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Firefighters say the building had no power going into or out of it, leaving open the possibility of arson
.
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, well known as a psychiatric institution. It was a contributing property to the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District
West Montgomery Avenue Historic District
The West Montgomery Avenue Historic District is a national historic district located at Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a residential area with single-family homes predominating. The majority of the properties within the district date from the 1880s, with a few older homes and...
.
History
In 1886, Charles G. Wilson commissioned an architect to build a four-story brick "summer boarding house" on 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of land he had purchased in the west of Rockville. During the construction of the building, Wilson filed for bankruptcy, and the unfinished building was bought for $6000 by Mary J. Colley (the owner of the Clarendon Hotel in Washington DC) and her partner Charles W. Bell. Under their ownership, the building was opened as the Woodlawn Hotel in the spring of 1889. The hotel boasted electric bells, gas lightingGas lighting
Gas lighting is production of artificial light from combustion of a gaseous fuel, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, propane, butane, acetylene, ethylene, or natural gas. Before electricity became sufficiently widespread and economical to allow for general public use, gas was the most...
and 40 luxurious guest rooms and was extremely successful, catering for rich visitors from Washington DC who often boarded in the hotel during the summer months.
After a decade or so of prosperity, however, the fortunes of the Woodlawn Hotel declined as many of its semi-permanent residents moved into new houses in Rockville. In 1906 the hotel's owners were heavily in debt and were forced to sell the building and grounds at public auction
Public auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
. The hotel was purchased by Dr. Ernest L. Bullard, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
and professor of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
and neurology
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
. Bullard renovated the building and re-opened it in 1910 as a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
for the care of nervous and mental diseases, re-naming it Chestnut Lodge after the 125 chestnut trees that grew in the grounds.
For many years, Bullard was the sole physician working at the Lodge, but over the next 75 years a total of three generations of the Bullard family operated the private hospital. Many nationally renowned therapists, including Frieda Fromm-Reichmann
Frieda Fromm-Reichmann
Frieda Fromm-Reichmann was a German psychiatrist and contemporary of Sigmund Freud who emigrated to America during World War II.-Life and work:...
, Wayne Fenton
Wayne Fenton
Wayne Fenton was an American psychiatrist, well known for his academic contributions to the study of schizophrenia including key contributions to the classification of subtypes ....
, Thomas McGlashan
Thomas McGlashan
Dr. Thomas McGlashan is an American professor of psychiatry at Yale University, well known for his academic contributions to the study of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.- Professional career :...
, Harold Searles
Harold Searles
Harold F. Searles, M.D. is one of the pioneers of psychiatric medicine specialising in psychoanalytic treatments of schizophrenia. Harold Searles has the reputation of being a therapeutic virtuoso with difficult and borderline patients; and of being 'not only a great analyst but also a sagacious...
, and Otto Allen Will, Jr.
Otto Allen Will, Jr.
Otto Allen Will, Jr. was a U.S. psychiatrist whose work in psychoanalysis focused on treatment of schizophrenic / schizophrenia patients using intensive psychotherapy. He is also credited for his advancement of Attachment Theory and Milieu therapy .- Training :Dr. Will received his medical degree...
, worked at the hospital over the years. The hospital was the site for a series of influential studies on the long-term treatment outcome for psychiatric conditions, known as the Chestnut Lodge studies .
In the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
and 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, innovative dance therapist Marian Chace had regularly scheduled sessions with groups of patients. Judith Richardson Bunney followed her in this work. In the 1960s and 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, Donn B. Murphy
Donn B. Murphy
Donn B. Murphy taught theatre and speech courses at Georgetown University from 1954 to 2000. At the invitation of Jacqueline Kennedy and Letitia Baldrige, he became a theatrical advisor to the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson Administrations for White House dramatic and music presentations in...
conducted a drama group for patients.
In 1997 the lodge was purchased by CPC Health, and passed hands again to the Washington Waldorf School in 2001 when CPC Health declared bankruptcy. In December 2003, the property was conveyed to Chestnut Lodge Properties, Inc.
In 2008 the property was approved for conversion to condominiums (inside the main building) and upscale housing. The grove of chestnut trees and some original building façades were to be preserved. But at around 3am on June 7, 2009, the building was destroyed by fire. Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
Fire Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer says the unoccupied, multi-story brick structure collapsed in the Sunday morning blaze. He said the building was unoccupied and no one was injured. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Firefighters say the building had no power going into or out of it, leaving open the possibility of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
.