The Boston Psychopathic Hospital, established at 74 Fenwood Road in 1912, was one of the first

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

hospitals A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, United States. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The name was changed to Massachusetts Mental Health Center in the late 1960s. The building at 74 Fenwood Road was closed in 2010 and demolished in 2011. The Massachusetts Mental Health Center continues to operate at 75 Fenwood Road.

History

In November 1909 the site for the hospital was purchased on Fenwood Road, 5 minutes' walk from

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

. Elmer Ernest Southard was appointed director of the hospital early in 1910, to supervise its construction. On June 24, 1912 the Psychiatric Hospital was formally opened as a department of

Boston State Hospital Boston State Hospital is a historic mental hospital located in Mattapan and Dorchester, Massachusetts. The court case '' Rogers v. Okin'', which increases patient consent rights, was filed by a class action A class action, also known as a class-a ...

. On May 1, 1919 the Massachusetts State Psychiatric Institute was separated from the Psychopathic Department of the Boston State Hospital, which relieved the psychopathic department of scientific research, leaving it with purely hospital functions. On December 1, 1920 the psychopathic department was made into a separate Boston Psychopathic Hospital, under director C. Macfie Campbell. In the late 1960s it was renamed the Massachusetts Mental Health Center.

Architecture

The center was founded in 1912 as the Boston Psychopathic Hospital. Its original main building and power plant were built that year, with additions in later decades including a therapeutic wing (1954) and research building (1957). The entire property was surrounded by an iron picket fence. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1994, representing one of the nation's oldest psychiatric hospitals. In 2009 the center's historic campus at 74 Fenwood Road was acquired by

Partners HealthCare Mass General Brigham (MGB) is a Boston-based non-profit hospital and physician network that includes Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), two of the nation's most prestigious teaching institutions. It was f ...

and demolished the following year. The center continues to operate in modern facilities at 75 Fenwood Road., 75 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA

References

* {{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1912 Hospitals in Boston Psychiatric hospitals in Massachusetts Defunct hospitals in Massachusetts 1912 establishments in Massachusetts Hospitals established in 1912 Historic districts in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Mental Health Center Fenway–Kenmore National Register of Historic Places in Boston Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Boston State Hospital

History

Architecture

See also

References