The Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital, or Kirkbride's Hospital, was a psychiatric hospital
located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, that operated from its founding in 1841 until 1997. The building, now called the Kirkbride Center is now part of the Blackwell Human Services Campus.
Two large hospital structures and an elaborate pleasure ground were built on a campus that stretched from 45th to 49th Streets along the north side of Market Street
. There, Thomas Story Kirkbride
, the hospital's first superintendent and physician-in-chief, developed a more humane method of treatment for the mentally ill that became widely influential.
In the late 1830s, the managers of Pennsylvania Hospital
began erecting a large asylum to replace the hospital's crowded insane wards at 8th and Spruce Streets. The 101 acre (0.40873286 km²) site chosen was a former farm in the as-yet unincorporated district of West Philadelphia
. The first structure for the Pennsylvania Asylum for the Insane was designed by Isaac Holden and was located near what is now 46th and Market Streets. Completed in 1841, the facility offered comforts and a "humane treatment" philosophy that set a standard for its day. Unlike other asylums where patients were often kept chained in crowded, unsanitary wards with little if any treatment, patients at the Pennsylvania Asylum resided in private rooms, received medical treatment, worked outdoors and enjoyed recreational activities including lectures and a use of the hospital library. The facility came to be called "Kirkbride's Hospital."
Superintendent Kirkbride developed his treatment philosophy based on research he conducted at other progressive asylums of the day, including the asylum at Worcester
, Massachusetts
, as well as his deep-seated personal opinions regarding mental health and his experience at the Pennsylvania Asylum. Out of his philosophy emerged the Kirkbride Plan
, which created a model design for psychiatric hospital buildings that was used across the United States throughout the 19th century. He described his system in great detail in his influential work, On the Construction, Organization, and General Arrangements of Hospitals for the Insane with Some Remarks on Insanity and Its Treatment (1854).
Overcrowding had become a problem in the original Pennsylvania Asylum for the Insane by the 1850s, so Kirkbride lobbied the Pennsylvania Hospital managers for an additional building. The situation offered him a unique opportunity to place his standardized concepts for mental hospital design and construction into effect at a facility under his control. The Pennsylvania Hospital’s Department for Males was soon constructed along 49th Street, a short distance west from the original asylum. Completed in 1859, this huge structure consisted of several wings extending from a main central building. It introduced many innovations in terms of spaciousness, airiness and light. Young architect Samuel Sloan, Kirkbride's friend and collaborator, designed the building.
Mental health services at the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital continued to expand throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. But by the mid-20th century, the 1841 hospital building proved unusable for this purpose and was demolished. All treatment moved to the Department for Males building in 1959. That structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and was designated a National Historic Landmark
on October 15, 1966.
The Institute was located in what is now the Mill Creek
neighborhood of Philadelphia. It continued operations until 1997 when, in the face of shrinking revenues from insurance
providers, Pennsylvania Hospital sold the property and moved its mental health services back to the main hospital campus at 8th and Spruce Streets. Three tall housing projects and a multi-purpose social-service facility were built near the site of the 1841 hospital. Other parts of the property were sold for commercial and residential development in 2001.
The structure is now part of the Blackwell Human Services Campus and houses the West Philadelphia ACES Charter School, Pennsylvania Hospital's Mill Creek School, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation's Adolescent Residential Treatment Center and Traveler's Aid's emergency family shelter.
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, that operated from its founding in 1841 until 1997. The building, now called the Kirkbride Center is now part of the Blackwell Human Services Campus.
Two large hospital structures and an elaborate pleasure ground were built on a campus that stretched from 45th to 49th Streets along the north side of Market Street
Market Street (Philadelphia)
Market Street, originally known as High Street, is a major east–west street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the majority of its length, it serves as Pennsylvania Route 3....
. There, Thomas Story Kirkbride
Thomas Story Kirkbride
Thomas Story Kirkbride was a physician, advocate for the mentally ill, and founder of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane , a precursor to the American Psychiatric Association.-Early career:Born into a Quaker family in Morrisville, Pennsylvania,...
, the hospital's first superintendent and physician-in-chief, developed a more humane method of treatment for the mentally ill that became widely influential.
In the late 1830s, the managers of Pennsylvania Hospital
Pennsylvania Hospital
Pennsylvania Hospital is a hospital in Center City, Philadelphia, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System . Founded on May 11, 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Bond, it was the first hospital in the United States...
began erecting a large asylum to replace the hospital's crowded insane wards at 8th and Spruce Streets. The 101 acre (0.40873286 km²) site chosen was a former farm in the as-yet unincorporated district of West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
. The first structure for the Pennsylvania Asylum for the Insane was designed by Isaac Holden and was located near what is now 46th and Market Streets. Completed in 1841, the facility offered comforts and a "humane treatment" philosophy that set a standard for its day. Unlike other asylums where patients were often kept chained in crowded, unsanitary wards with little if any treatment, patients at the Pennsylvania Asylum resided in private rooms, received medical treatment, worked outdoors and enjoyed recreational activities including lectures and a use of the hospital library. The facility came to be called "Kirkbride's Hospital."
Superintendent Kirkbride developed his treatment philosophy based on research he conducted at other progressive asylums of the day, including the asylum at Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through 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...
, as well as his deep-seated personal opinions regarding mental health and his experience at the Pennsylvania Asylum. Out of his philosophy emerged the Kirkbride Plan
Kirkbride Plan
The Kirkbride Plan refers to a system of mental asylum design advocated by Philadelphia psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride in the mid-19th century.-History:The establishment of state mental hospitals in the U.S...
, which created a model design for psychiatric hospital buildings that was used across the United States throughout the 19th century. He described his system in great detail in his influential work, On the Construction, Organization, and General Arrangements of Hospitals for the Insane with Some Remarks on Insanity and Its Treatment (1854).
Overcrowding had become a problem in the original Pennsylvania Asylum for the Insane by the 1850s, so Kirkbride lobbied the Pennsylvania Hospital managers for an additional building. The situation offered him a unique opportunity to place his standardized concepts for mental hospital design and construction into effect at a facility under his control. The Pennsylvania Hospital’s Department for Males was soon constructed along 49th Street, a short distance west from the original asylum. Completed in 1859, this huge structure consisted of several wings extending from a main central building. It introduced many innovations in terms of spaciousness, airiness and light. Young architect Samuel Sloan, Kirkbride's friend and collaborator, designed the building.
Mental health services at the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital continued to expand throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. But by the mid-20th century, the 1841 hospital building proved unusable for this purpose and was demolished. All treatment moved to the Department for Males building in 1959. That structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on October 15, 1966.
The Institute was located in what is now the Mill Creek
Mill Creek, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mill Creek is a neighborhood in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located north of Market Street, south of Girard Avenue, between 44th and 52nd Streets. It is named for the eponymous creek which was covered by a cistern in the 1880s, although the water underneath...
neighborhood of Philadelphia. It continued operations until 1997 when, in the face of shrinking revenues from insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
providers, Pennsylvania Hospital sold the property and moved its mental health services back to the main hospital campus at 8th and Spruce Streets. Three tall housing projects and a multi-purpose social-service facility were built near the site of the 1841 hospital. Other parts of the property were sold for commercial and residential development in 2001.
The structure is now part of the Blackwell Human Services Campus and houses the West Philadelphia ACES Charter School, Pennsylvania Hospital's Mill Creek School, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation's Adolescent Residential Treatment Center and Traveler's Aid's emergency family shelter.