Fergus Falls State Hospital

Fergus Falls State Hospital was recognized as Minnesota's first multi-purpose regional center in 1971, serving patients based on where they lived, rather than what services they needed. Formerly known as Minnesota’s Third Hospital for the Insane, the site is historically significant under  National Register Criterion A  in the area of Health and Medicine for its  “association with the state’s enduring commitment to provide humane treatment for its mentally ill citizens.”  Its purpose however, along with the vast majority of State Hospitals, may be considered a place to house all those whose psychological conditions excluded them from interacting with the general population, a tragedy that stole many from what could have been nearly normal lives.

In 1885, due to overcrowding in the hospitals at St. Peter and Rochester, state legislature officially commissioned the Third Minnesota State Hospital for the Insane. The new, 120-acre hospital was to be built in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Unlike earlier state hospitals, the Fergus Falls State Hospital was given a legislative mandate to incorporate the principles of homeopathic medicine, a medical system based on the belief that the body can cure itself. This mandate put the Fergus Falls State Hospital on the map as the first state mental institution in Minnesota to formally adopt this therapeutic approach to the treatment of mental illness. Minnesota’s Third Hospital for the Insane officially opened in 1890 after receiving patients from the St. Peter State Hospital. The sprawling campus and large stately buildings were designed on a model established by physician Thomas Kirkbride and remain one of the last Kirkbride structures built in the United States.

After continually moving patients to smaller, community-based facilities for two decades, The Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center officially closed in 2005 selling its the land to the city of Fergus Falls just two years later. Preservationists continue the fight to save the historically significant building yet Fergus Falls residents argue the site to be too large for a small town to redevelop leaving the fate of the Fergus Falls State Hospital a mystery.

Designed by architect Warren B. Dunnel of Minneapolis, Minnesota, fresh air and ample sunlight was the focus. This was a feature architecturally integrated by Thomas Kirkbride, a psychologist who greatly inspired and influenced 19th hospital plans all over the country, often referred to as The Kirkbride Plan.

While most Kirkbrides have wings divided by sections joining at right angles, the sections here join at much wider angles. The resulting rough curve of the building's footprint is echoed in arched windows and the rounded turrets and connecting hallways giving the building a graceful and grand appearance which is somewhat offset by the rectangular central tower of the administration section.  The bare façade was supposed to bring discipline into patients' lives. 

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when someone was deemed insane, it was often thought to be the person’s own fault.

At the time of the opening of the Fergus Falls State Hospital, common reasons for admission included fright, loneliness, epilepsy, and typhoid fever. They only allowed males that received sentencing to stay at the hospital. It was not until 1893, when the State Hospital accepted these conditions to include 125 women, who were confined to their own section of the institution. In 1910, laws were changed allowing patients to voluntarily admit themselves. Patient population within the hospital fluctuated often, but rarely trended downward. In 1894, the Hospital recorded 532 patients. This grew to over 2,000 patients by 1937. After admittance, most stayed for life.

 Life inside of the hospital has been noted as “noisy”, both during the daytime and nighttime. Kirkbride asylums were designed to provide "moral treatment."  Gardens and farmland surrounded the buildings. The hospital was situated in rural a setting because doctors believed urban areas worsened mental health. Kirkbride’s model encouraged fields, farms, and workshops to support patient health. Patients were required to tend to the 500 acres of farmland and livestock located on site. Patients complained that this approach to occupational therapy felt more like chores.

At its time, the hospital was considered a medical model of disability, treating people as needing to be fixed or cured. The hospital argued that it offered good living and work conditions. However, these facilities were overcrowded and dirty. They were also unregulated. Men and women lived in the same space with little oversight. Due to financial constraints or the inability to provide for their relatives properly, families often struggled to care privately for their relatives deemed “insane” or with physical disabilities. When families could not cope with care, these individuals became wards of the state.

In 2007, the state sold the land to the city of Fergus Falls and has since sparked numerous conversations about the  uncertain future of the structure . Preservationists have fought to save the main building but could not protect the entire site from demolition. In May 2018, demolition began on the mid-century administration building, constructed in the 1950s. Current Mayor, Ben Schierer, has indicated that the city may still consider plans from developers to renovate the original Kirkbride building for residential or commercial use. 

The extensive site and structure that is left of the Fergus Falls State Hospital provide opportunities for adaptive new uses never envisioned by their designers. Developing a reuse plan for these hospitals can be complex depending on community and public perceptions. Although the main buildings were constructed to be durable and enduring, deterioration and vandalism has taken a toll leading to a negative image in the community and increased project costs.

While the fate of the Fergus Falls State Hospital remains unknown, careful planning, local support, and visionary development can prompt alternative uses for the abandoned site with the potential to serve as a reminder of the forgotten history associated with these unique buildings and landscapes while contributing to the social, economic, and cultural needs of the community.