Gaebler Children's Center was a
psychiatric institution operated by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health for severely
mentally ill child
A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...
ren and
adolescents, located in
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, th ...
.
The center opened on October 8, 1955, near the grounds of the
Metropolitan State Hospital and closed in September 1992. It was named after William C. Gaebler, the second superintendent of the Metropolitan State Hospital. The
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 The Waltham Land Trust is a private, non-profit corporation that seeks to preserve Open space reserve, open space in Waltham, Massachusetts. The trust currently sponsors many projects, including the protection of the grounds of the former Gaebler C ...
and ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'', 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.
Gaebler School Demolition Complete
''Wicked Local Waltham'', January 25, 2011
References
External links
Geabler Children's Center
''The Boston Globe'': Waltham lauds end of 'fast-track' land sales
Hospital buildings completed in 1955
Psychiatric hospitals in Massachusetts
Hospitals in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Waltham, Massachusetts
Defunct hospitals in Massachusetts
Hospitals disestablished in 1992
1955 establishments in Massachusetts
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