Oregon State Hospital

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Main building of Oregon State Hospital
Main building of Oregon State Hospital

Oregon State Hospital (OSH) in Salem, Oregon, United States, is the primary state-run psychiatric hospital in the state of Oregon since Dammasch State Hospital closed in 1995. About two-thirds of the hospital's patients were found guilty of crimes, but found to be insane. Others were determined to be a danger to themselves or to others.[1]

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[edit] History

Hospital circa 1920
Hospital circa 1920

Built in 1883 as the Oregon State Insane Asylum, much of the original structure still stands and is currently in use. Some wings of the original building, however, have been off limits due to structural deterioration and decay.

The original Oregon State Hospital for the Insane was established by J.C. Hawthorne in what was then East Portland, Oregon, (now the Hawthorne District). It was built in 1862, and the street on which it was built was renamed Asylum Street. Local residents protested about the name, however, and it was renamed Hawthorne after the hospital's founder in 1888.[2]

The street on which the current hospital is located, Center Street, was also originally named Asylum Avenue.[3]

The hospital (along with the state legislature) is frequently criticized as providing substandard mental health care.[3]

The facility is perhaps best known as the filming location for the Academy Award-winning film based on Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.[4]

The occupied Center Street wing of OSH
The occupied Center Street wing of OSH

In 2005, an architectural assessment of the facility determined that the site was unsafe.[4] On August 8, 2006, the hospital was fined USD $10,200 for asbestos violations.[5]

Another controversy at the hospital involves the fate of over 5000 cans of cremains that are warehoused at the site. The cremains were the subject of a Pulitzer Prize-winning series by The Oregonian newspaper.[6]

A report from the United States Department of Justice criticized the quality of care provided to patients by the hospital.[7][8][1]

A $458 million plan approved by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 2007 calls for the construction of a replacement hospital in Salem with as many as 620 beds, as well as a 360 bed facility in Junction City.[1] Construction of the Salem facility is set to begin in 2009, and be completed by 2011; the Junction City facility would be completed by 2013.[1] Mayor Janet Taylor of Salem has called for the number of beds to be reduced to 320 or fewer, and another hospital facility to be built in or near Portland.[8]

During a 2008 excavation, artifacts dating to an 1850s-era frontier homestead were uncovered on the grounds of the Oregon State Hospital campus. Recovered items included earthen dishes, glass windows, a canning jar and a lamp chimney. More digging will be required to confirm if the artifacts are connected to the 1852 homestead of Morgan L. "Lute" Savage.[9]

[edit] Facilities

The remains of a narrow gauge railroad can be seen on the grounds of the hospital, leading into different tunnels and buildings. The tunnels allowed the hospital to move patients between buildings without the public observing and are marked by purple colored glass embedded in the roads that provided lighting.[10] Tunnels connect the hospital to the Oregon State Capitol building and also lead to the nearby state penitentiary, where freight was once unloaded from the standard gauge railroad unto the smaller train for use at the hospital.[citation needed] The railroad is no longer used.[citation needed]

[edit] Historic district

The Dome Building
The Dome Building

The Oregon State Hospital Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 28, 2008.[11] The district is roughly bounded by D Street, Park Avenue, 24th Street and Bates Drive[11] and includes the main hospital building as well as the headquarters of the Oregon Department of Corrections, known as the Dome Building, across the street.[12]

The hospital was cited as an example of the Thomas Story Kirkbride system of mental hospital design.[12] More than 60 historic buildings and structures are sited on 130-acre campus and are considered excellent examples of institutional buildings designed by Oregon architects, including Pietro Belluschi, William C. Knighton, Edgar M. Lazarus (the designer of Crown Point Vista House), and Walter D. Pugh.[12][13]

[edit] Notable patients

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d "State Needs Both A New Hospital And A New System Of Care", Oregon Public Broadcasting, February 22, 2008. 
  2. ^ Historic Context: Hawthorne Boulevard from SE 20th to SE 55th Ave (PDF)
  3. ^ a b Carter Center
  4. ^ a b National Trust for Historic Preservation story: "Oregon Hospital Receives Bad Diagnosis"
  5. ^ "Hospital fined for asbestos violations", Statesman-Journal, August 8, 2006
  6. ^ Attig, Rick; Doug Bates. "All the lonely people", The Oregonian, January 9, 2005.  (2006 Pulitzer Prize Winners: Editorial)
  7. ^ DOJ report
  8. ^ a b "Salem Mayor gives up fight against state hospital site", The Associated Press, The Oregonian, February 18, 2008. 
  9. ^ Gustafson, Alan. "Salem's pioneer past surfaces in fragments at state hospital", Statesman Journal, March 24, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-25. 
  10. ^ Esteve, Harry. Capitol scene 2001 Oregon Legislature. The Oregonian, January 8, 2001.
  11. ^ a b National Register of Historic Places Listings: March 7, 2008. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
  12. ^ a b c National Register of Historic Places adds Oregon State Hospital Historic District. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department News. Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (March 7, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-08.
  13. ^ National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Oregon State Hospital Historic District. Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved on 2008-03-08.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 44°56′23″N 123°00′13″W / 44.93979, -123.00348

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