Indianapolis Veterans Administration Hospital, also known as Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital is a historic hospital complex and national historic district located at

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

. The district resources were developed between 1930 and 1951 by the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

, and encompasses 15 contributing buildings, 2 contributing sites, 2 contributing structures and 5

contributing object In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

s on the hospital campus. The main complex is connected by an enclosed corridor and consists of the main hospital building (1931), kitchen/mess hall/boiler house/attendants' quarters, general medical building (1939), and recreation building (1941). The buildings reflect the

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

and

Classical Revival Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

styles of architecture. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs The name of doctor Larue D. Carter had previously been attached to the state's first intensive-treatment

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, or behavioral health hospitals are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissoci ...

, a facility within a large assembly of buildings (which then also included both the

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

Indianapolis campus and the V.A. Hospital), in recognition of his leadership role in the state's

Mental Health Association Mental may refer to: * of or relating to the mind Films * ''Mental'' (2012 film), an Australian comedy-drama * ''Mental'' (2016 film), a Bangladeshi romantic-action movie * ''Mental'', a 2008 documentary by Kazuhiro Soda * ''Mental'', a 2014 Od ...

, at a time when the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

-era Central State Hospital psychiatric facility, in the same city, was being pilloried as an obsolete relic reflecting inhumane approaches to mental illness. This V.A. facility 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 ...

in 2012.

References

Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Hospital buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Colonial Revival architecture in Indiana Neoclassical architecture in Indiana Historic districts in Indianapolis National Register of Historic Places in Indianapolis {{MarionCountyIN-NRHP-stub