It's always interesting looking at the artwork in former asylums. In buildings like the Forensic Building, for the criminally insane, at Mayview State Hospital, it was evident someone attempted to liven up the boring tile corridors and day rooms with paintings of nature.
This morning, I set the alarm for 4:15am and went north to the Headlands to shoot sunrise. It wasn't anything amazing, but it was nice to stand on the windless cliff, alone for an hour watching the ships move in and out of the bay while snapping a few pics.
I haven't dumped the card from this morning yet, but here's a shot of the Golden Gate from Fort Baker, East of where I was this morning.
North Ward, South Carolina Lunatic Asylum
Thanks for stopping by the new website. I've spent hours selecting images, many of which are previously unpublished, compiling history, writing descriptions and integrating a 'purchase' option for prints via SmugMug. Hope you enjoy!
I've been spending a lot of time sorting through images for the website re-design and when I stumbled upon this one last night, I wanted to share it. It's not the most beautiful or technical photograph, but it serves as a great historical photograph of this space just prior to demolition.
When I had the chance to photograph the location early last year, the demolition process was already underway. In the theatre, many seats had been removed and shoved against the walls and plastic was covering the doorways.
Western State Hospital in Tennessee, also known as West Tennessee Hospital for the Insane, opened it's doors in 1889, admitting patients on November 22nd into the Kirkbride Building. For over 30 years, this one building provided adequate space for the number of patients admitted, however, overcrowding resulted in the need for an additional Psychopathic Hospital. In 1932, the four story Polk Building (shown here) was erected as a new residency for 400 patients.
The forest is a truly remarkable place; the way the light spills in through the leaves, caressing the mossy floor as the branches dance above.
Dayroom inside the Babcock Building at the former South Carolina Lunatic Asylum. This building took nearly 30 years to complete due to a lack of funding. When it was finally completed in 1885, the beautiful structure contained a four-story central structure with North and South wings.
The stockade, at a former California military base, was designed to be a short-term holding for inmates, before being transfered to a penitentiary in Kansas.
Patient restroom at the former Marine Hospital in Tennessee, constructed in the early 1900's.
Mesquite Dunes, Death Valley
I had the opportunity to revisit the Marine Hospital on a recent trip and I knew I wanted to spend some time in the beautiful morgue again, in an attempt to get a more refined shot.
For the image below, I used one 125w LED panel to light the entire space. First, I set the panel inside the hood, aimed it upward, over the table and left it for a minute and a half on a low setting. Then I removed the light, placed it on the ground off-camera to the left and bounced it off the ceiling for another minute and a half at full power.
The Babcock Building at the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum was constructed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and the footprint resembled a Kirkbride. The building was built in four phases spanning nearly 30 years. The Administration Section, shown here, was among the last sections to be built.
Central State Hospital was once the largest psychiatric facility located in Georgia, within the boundaries of the former state capital. The asylum accepted its first patient in 1842, but overcrowding quickly plagued the hospital.
In 1884, this building was constructed to cope with the expanding patient population and housed white, male convalescent patients.
This military prison in California was constructed in the 1960's and designed to be a short-term residency for inmates, prior to a transfer to Fort Leavenworth.
Tomorrow I'm heading out of town for a few days, so I will see you all next week!
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard contains several hundred buildings and other structures, all erected at various times throughout the 120-year operation and constructed in a variety of architectural styles. Among these structures are the Naval Weapons Station, Marine Barracks, Nuclear Power School and Combat Systems Technical Schools Command, Hospital and Power Plant.
