Gaebler Children's Center
Encyclopedia
Gaebler Children's Center was a psychiatric
institution for severely mentally ill
child
ren and adolescents, located in Waltham, Massachusetts
.
The center opened on October 8, 1955 near the grounds of the Metropolitan State Hospital
and closed on January 31, 1992. It was named after William C. Gaebler, the second superintendent of the Metropolitan State Hospital. The Massachusetts
Department of Mental Health (DMH) closed the center as it was antiquated and could no longer serve the needs of the children it housed. According to the DMH, this closure coincided with the decision to place mentally ill children in community settings instead of in institutional settings. Others felt the center was closed due to budget cuts.
According to the Waltham Land Trust
and The Boston Globe
, the grounds of the Gaebler Center are currently being considered for redevelopment. (The Gaebler Center is now slated for Demolition with bids to be received prior to April 15, 2010)
Demolition and site development contractor Testa Corp won the bid to begin destruction of the area, as indicated by a sign recently erected at the entrance.
Mayor Jeanette McCarthy said the building was bought by the city of Waltham in 2005 in order to have some control over the development of the seven acre site. Demolition of the Gaebler Children's Center was completed in January 2011. The work cost the City of Waltham approximately $637,000. There are no current plans for the 55 acre lot.
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...
institution for severely mentally ill
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren and adolescents, located in Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
.
The center opened on October 8, 1955 near the grounds of the Metropolitan State Hospital
Metropolitan State Hospital (Massachusetts)
The Metropolitan State Hospital was an American public hospital for the mentally ill, located in the city of Waltham, Massachusetts. At one time the hospital was the largest and most modern facility of its type in Massachusetts...
and closed on January 31, 1992. It was named after William C. Gaebler, the second superintendent of the Metropolitan State Hospital. The Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Department of Mental Health (DMH) closed the center as it was antiquated and could no longer serve the needs of the children it housed. According to the DMH, this closure coincided with the decision to place mentally ill children in community settings instead of in institutional settings. Others felt the center was closed due to budget cuts.
According to the Waltham Land Trust
Waltham Land Trust
The Waltham Land Trust is a private, non-profit corporation that seeks to preserve open space in Waltham, Massachusetts. The trust currently sponsors many projects, including the protection of the grounds of the former Gaebler Children's Center....
and The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, the grounds of the Gaebler Center are currently being considered for redevelopment. (The Gaebler Center is now slated for Demolition with bids to be received prior to April 15, 2010)
Demolition and site development contractor Testa Corp won the bid to begin destruction of the area, as indicated by a sign recently erected at the entrance.
Mayor Jeanette McCarthy said the building was bought by the city of Waltham in 2005 in order to have some control over the development of the seven acre site. Demolition of the Gaebler Children's Center was completed in January 2011. The work cost the City of Waltham approximately $637,000. There are no current plans for the 55 acre lot.