The Historic Kirkbride Building
Its Fate in Jeopardy
The Kirkbride Building, the main building of the old Greystone Hospital, is a marvel of Victorian architecture. It is a treasure of New Jersey history and is widely acknowledged to be eligible as a national landmark.
The stately building remains nestled in a pristine, park-like setting in Greystone Park but it fate is in the hands of the New Jersey State government. The State owns the Kirkbride along with several smaller plots in its proximity. With a new psychiatric hospital on the grounds, the State is now considering selling the Kirkbride Building and some of the sprawling green space around it to developers. Should the Kirkbride be razed, this would not only be the loss of a crucial landmark but it could lead to more sprawl.
Preserve Greystone exists to find funding to rehabilitate the building, and to put government planners in touch with the best ideas and the most effective groups that are working on other such sites. Reusing the building makes more business sense and presents a "greener" solution than tearing it down and rebuilding on the site. The Kirkbride should be stabilized, saved and analyzed for reuse. The surrounding land should be kept free from new building.
The History of the The Kirkbride Building and Greystone Park
Greystone Park was one of the most legendary mental facilities in New Jersey. It opened in 1876 and was a self-contained city with dozens of structures that included a post office, fire and police stations, a working farm, and vocational and recreational facilities.
The Kirkbride Building, the main hospital, was designed by Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, a pioneer in the treatment of mental illness. The building is a jewel of classic architecture, and a monument to the evolution in attitudes towards mental health care. Its design was to provide people suffering from mental illness with enough space and tranquility to recover and rebuild their lives.
Several modifications to the Kirkbride were made over the years. Most notable are the removal of several cupolas, renovation of the fourth-floor, the removal of the administration attic, and rebuilding of the central dome after a fire.
The slide show presentation includes photographs of the Greystone Park grounds and the Kirkbride Building as it looked in its heyday and today. The following websites also provide a wealth of information on the Kirkbride Building.
Aerial Images of the Kirkbride and Curry Buildings
Demolition of the Curry Buildings (video)
Asylum Projects (Historical Information and Postcards)
Designed Breakdown (Galleries of photos and history)