The State Hospital Gatehouse is a small house, constructed as a lodge and gatehouse at the entrance to the Michigan Asylum for the Insane (now the

Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital The Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital (KRPH) is the largest mental health institution in Michigan. It was built under the Kirkbride Plan. History The Kalamazoo Regional Psychiatric Hospital officially opened on 29 August 1859 under the direction of ...

). 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 1983.

History

The State Hospital Gatehouse was constructed in about 1879 at the entrance to the state hospital. Details of the building are drawn from illustrations in A. J. Bicknell's ''Detail, Cottage and Constructive Architecture,'' published in 1873. An entrance gate (now demolished) with similar features was constructed at the same time. It is unclear whether the building was ever actually used as a gatekeeper's lodge. By 1885 the house was used as a residence for some privileged women patients. It was later used by hospital staff families for a number of years. In the early 1960s the house was restored, and became a museum.

Description

The gatehouse is a two-story, Late Victorian cottage with a gable roof. The house has an L-shaped front section, and a rear ell. The exterior is clad with

board-and-batten A batten is most commonly a strip of solid material, historically wood but can also be of plastic, metal, or fiberglass. Battens are variously used in construction, sailing, and other fields. In the lighting industry, battens refer to linea ...

siding. The gables and porch are decorated with Swiss-inspired and Eastlake ornamentation. The porch and bay window also have decorative trim.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Kalamazoo County, Michigan Victorian architecture in Michigan