Hailey Tran
Norristown State Hospital is a long-term psychiatric facility located outside Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania. It is the only remaining state hospital in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The hospital was established in 1876 to address overcrowding at the Harrisburg State Hospital. It occupies 225 acres of land and has about 30 surviving buildings, including the Arthur Noyes Forensic Center (Building #51) and the Female Admission Building. The hospital has been the subject of recent redevelopment proposals, with plans to transform the site into a mixed-use residential, business, and retail area. The future of the hospital has been controversial, with community advocacy groups protesting its closure and calling for improved behavioural healthcare services.
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What You'll Learn
History of Norristown State Hospital
Norristown State Hospital, originally known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Norristown, is a state-funded psychiatric hospital located outside Philadelphia in suburban Norristown, Pennsylvania. The hospital was constructed on 265 acres of what was largely farmland. The land was obtained from eight local landowners.
In 1876, the Pennsylvania Legislature and General Assembly authorized the construction of a state mental hospital in the southeastern part of the state. Previously, psychiatric patients had to be sent to the distant Harrisburg State Hospital, which led to overcrowding. The hospital was designed between 1878 and 1880 by the local firm of Wilson Brothers & Company, with the original structure set in a red brick Victorian High Gothic motif. The hospital was the first to construct the "cottage model" developed in Belgium, which allowed for as much individual liberty as the patient's condition allowed.
The patient population grew from around 400 in the 1880s to 3,250 in 1928 and 4,700 in 1954. In the 1930s and 1940s, electroshock therapy and lobotomies were used as treatment methods, with psychotropic medications being introduced in the 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a shift towards providing community-based psychiatric care, which led to a decrease in the hospital census.
In 1998, Haverford State Hospital was closed, and its inpatient population was transferred to Norristown. Dr. Alice Bennett, who had previously joined with other clinicians to help found the National Conference of Charities and Correction in 1874, was appointed to govern the medical and psychiatric affairs of the new hospital. During her tenure, she championed reforms, including the removal of physical and mechanical restraints.
In recent years, there have been plans to redevelop parts of the hospital campus, with proposals for residential, business, and retail spaces, as well as an industrial tech complex. However, the fate of the hospital has been the subject of public debate, with community advocacy groups protesting its closure and raising concerns about the welfare of patients.
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Building 50's patients
Norristown State Hospital is a long-term psychiatric facility that is Medicare and Medicaid certified. The hospital provides treatment for patients with severe and persistent mental illness. It is located outside of Philadelphia, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and spans 225 acres. It is the only remaining state hospital in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and currently has around 30 surviving buildings.
The hospital was established in 1876 when the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a law calling for a state mental hospital to be set up in the southeastern region of the state. This was due to overcrowding at the Harrisburg State Hospital, which was the only other option for psychiatric patients in the area at the time.
The hospital follows the \"cottage\" model, which allows for the separation of patients based on their level of functioning. This model consists of separate buildings that are all interconnected by a system of tunnels. Norristown State Hospital was the first Pennsylvania state hospital to adopt this style, rather than the large-scale Kirkbride Model.
The Regional Forensic Psychiatric Center (RFPC) at Norristown State Hospital provides active psychiatric treatment, evaluation, and competency assessment/restoration for individuals involved with the county-based judicial/correction systems. The hospital has a total of 375 beds, with 255 dedicated to the RFPC and 120 for the Forensic Stepdown Program.
The future of the hospital campus has been a subject of debate, with some buildings rented to social service providers and local government agencies, and others remaining vacant due to their state of decay. There have been proposals for redeveloping the land, including plans for residential, business, and retail spaces, as well as an industrial tech complex. However, community advocacy groups have protested the closure of the hospital, citing concerns about the welfare of patients and the underfunding of behavioral healthcare services.
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The hospital's architecture
Norristown State Hospital is a long-term psychiatric facility located outside of Philadelphia, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. It is the only remaining state hospital in southeastern Pennsylvania, occupying 225 acres of land with roughly thirty surviving buildings in varying states of repair.
The hospital was established in 1876 when the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a law calling for a state mental hospital to be built in the southeastern region of the state. Previously, psychiatric patients had to be sent to the distant Harrisburg State Hospital, which led to overcrowding and an increasing need for a regional facility. Construction began on March 12, 1878, with John Rice receiving a $600,000 contract from the state legislature to construct seven wards and the administration building (Building #19).
Norristown State Hospital was the first Pennsylvania state hospital to adopt the "cottage" model developed in Gheel, Belgium, rather than the Kirkbride Model of a large-scale single structure with multiple "wings." The "cottage" model consisted of separate buildings above ground that were interconnected by a network of tunnels, allowing for the separation of patients based on their level of functioning. This design influenced the hospital's architecture, with each building serving a specific purpose and contributing to the overall functionality of the facility.
Some notable buildings within the hospital include Building #19, the administration building; the Female Admission Building located at the front entrance; and Buildings #10 and #51, which house the forensic units. The hospital also includes specialized departments such as Social Work, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Volunteer Resources, Recreation, and Vocational Services.
While the hospital has faced controversy and discussions of closure due to the changing paradigms of psychiatric care, there has also been a proposal for redevelopment. The plan includes a mix of residential, business, and retail spaces, with a focus on attracting major employers to the area.
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The hospital's current status
Norristown State Hospital is a long-term psychiatric facility that is Medicare and Medicaid certified. It is located in Pennsylvania and was the first of the state's hospitals to construct its buildings in a style following the "cottage" model, where patients are separated into areas based on their level of functioning. The hospital has roughly thirty surviving buildings in varying conditions. Some of these buildings have recently been rented to social-service providers and local government agencies, while others remain vacant due to their state of decay. The Female Admission Building, for example, remains derelict.
In 2017, Gov. Wolf's administration reached an agreement with the municipality to vacate two buildings on the state hospital grounds by 2022, opening the door for redevelopment. This came after a settlement with the ACLU, in which the state agreed to create 110 new spots for patients with severe mental illness.
In April 2022, the Pennsylvania departments of Human Services and General Services sought design professionals to develop plans for a new building to house the hospital's forensic services unit. The new facility will replace two buildings that currently make up the unit: Building 10 and Building 51. The forensic unit provides care to individuals involved with the county judicial or corrections systems who need psychiatric evaluation or ongoing treatment. The new building will be designed to enhance the safety of patients and staff while providing a high quality of care.
The hospital currently occupies 225 acres and has 375 beds. 255 beds are for patients in the Regional Forensic Psychiatric Center and 120 beds are for patients in the Forensic Stepdown Program. The hospital has also assimilated multiple patients and staff from the closures of other state hospitals and is now the only remaining state hospital in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
While there have been talks of relocating the forensic beds currently at Norristown, the total closure of the facility seems unlikely as the 136-patient forensic unit for criminally committed patients is often near capacity. The future of the hospital campus has been the subject of considerable public debate, with community advocacy groups protesting the closure and calling for better funding for behavioural healthcare services.
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The hospital's future
The future of Norristown State Hospital has been the subject of much discussion and controversy in recent times. The hospital, which was established in 1878 and is the only remaining state hospital in southeastern Pennsylvania, has been facing the prospect of closure due to changing paradigms in psychiatric care and the desire to utilize the valuable real estate on which it sits.
In 2017, the state was forced to expand the hospital's capacity following a lawsuit by the ACLU, which alleged that individuals with severe mental illness were not receiving adequate care. As a result, the state agreed to create 50 new spots at Norristown State Hospital. However, this has not deterred plans for redeveloping the site.
Proposals have emerged for redeveloping a 68-70 acre swath of the hospital's land, which includes the construction of 728 residential units, including townhomes and apartments, as well as commercial and retail spaces. The developer, PRDC Properties, has dubbed the project an "office/industrial tech complex" and hopes to attract major employers. The project is expected to bring significant economic benefits to Norristown, with an anticipated boost in real estate and local tax revenues.
Despite the potential benefits of redevelopment, the closure of the hospital has faced opposition from community advocacy groups, who argue that behavioral healthcare services are already underfunded and that patients rely on the structure of institutional settings. The forensic units at Norristown State Hospital, which provide care for criminally committed patients, have been particularly contentious. While there have been discussions about relocating these services, no site has been selected.
Moving forward, the Pennsylvania departments of Human Services and General Services are committed to building a new facility that will enhance patient safety and provide high-quality, timely, and compassionate care. The new building is expected to draw upon best practices to create an aesthetically pleasing and positive addition to the Norristown area. The project is anticipated to begin design in the fall of 2022, with major construction expected to commence in 2024.
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Frequently asked questions
Norristown State Hospital is a long-term psychiatric facility that is Medicare and Medicaid certified. It is located outside of Philadelphia, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. It is home to many different community mental health service providers.
The Pennsylvania Legislature passed a law in 1876 calling for a state mental hospital to be established in the southeastern part of the state. Ground was broken at the site on March 12, 1878, and John Rice was appropriated a contract of $600,000 from the state legislature to construct seven separate wards, as well as the administration building. Norristown State Hospital was the first of the Pennsylvania state hospitals to construct its buildings in the "cottage" model, with separate structures above ground that were interconnected by tunnels.
There have been recent proposals to redevelop a 68 to 70-acre swath of Norristown State Hospital, with plans for residential, business, and retail areas, as well as an industrial tech complex. The hospital currently occupies 225 acres and has about 30 surviving buildings, some of which have been rented out or remain vacant. There have also been discussions about relocating the forensic beds and the future of the hospital has been a subject of public debate.
I could not find specific information about Building 50 at Norristown State Hospital. However, Building 51, located across from a neighborhood of bungalows and rowhouses, houses the forensic units of the hospital.
