Dennis Webster - The New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica: A History of Old Main

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2021 by Dennis Webster

All rights reserved

First published 2021

E-Book edition 2021

ISBN 978.1.43967.309.6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021937212

Print Edition ISBN 978.1.46714.842.9

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Contents

Foreword

The New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica. The Utica Psychiatric Center. The Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center Building No. 31. Old Main.

No matter what its been called over time, no other building in the Greater Utica area holds such intrigue, mystery, both architectural and historical awe, fondness and yes, even loathing as does the structure we now know as Old Main. For many years, this facility was a solid employer, with a building and associated campus that defined the Highland area of West Utica since it opened in 1841. Many people have memories of working there or had friends or relatives who did or darker memories of loved ones who were patients there. It embodies the history of the innovative treatment of the mentally ill from when it first opened until it closed. To recognize its place in local, state and national history, Old Main is not only listed in the National Register of Historic Places but also designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL) for its architectural and historical significance and also for the individuals who were associated with its design and operation. Listing as an NHL is the highest designation that can be afforded a building. There are only two in Utica; the other is the Miller-Conkling-Kernan House at 3 Rutger Park.

When Old Main closed, this huge building no longer had a function. This is where the Landmarks Society of Greater Utica comes in. Formed in 1974, Landmarks long recognized the critical importance of this monumental structure and the real threat that it faced when it closed due to the changed treatment model that rejected large institutional buildings like this one. The society remained vigilant in keeping Old Main in the public eye and strongly advocated for much-needed improvements to keep it weathertight while a new use was sought for it. Several years after Old Main closed, the state invested over $2 million, as a direct result of the efforts of the Landmarks Society, for a new roof, new gutters and rebuilding the imposing limestone front steps, even though the building was unoccupied and with no new use identified.

While Old Main remained essentially mothballed, in 1999 a new threat surfaced. The Preservation League of New York State informed us that the state proposed to sell surplus buildings, and that Old Main was on that list. The Landmarks Society formed the Old Main Redevelopment Advisory Committee to directly address this potential threat, as a buyer might not understand or appreciate its historical and architectural significance. We also actively sought a compatible adaptive reuse.

Those efforts paid off. The state took Old Main off of its for sale list, sought out and obtained a Save Americas Treasures matching grant, undertook a significant restoration of the ground-floor entry and office area and converted the remainder of the first floor into a New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) records storage facility. Restoration and reuse efforts continue under OMHs stewardship.

The Landmarks Society remains the most significant and stalwart advocate for Old Main. In August 2014, with the permission and cooperation of the NYS OMH and as part of its Summer Walks and Talks series, a tour of the first floor of Old Main was offered that drew literally thousands of people.

It is the fervent hope of the Landmarks Society that the state will continue to use and care for this monumentally important facility and that someday a museum could be located in the central portion of Old Main that is dedicated to the vast (and sometimes painful) history of the treatment of the mentally ill and once again regain worldwide significance and recognition. In the meantime, please enjoy this insightful historical view of this fascinating structure.

Michael J. Bosak

Vice President (Education)

The Landmarks Society of Greater Utica

November 2020

Preface

I want the reader to know that I put the greatest care into the research into this book and in no way judge the people, who, at the time, tried their best to provide proper care to the mentally ill. Like any medical treatment, advances in technology and increased intellectual capital into maladies have improved in each successive generation. Utica, and the surrounding communities of the Mohawk Valley, are proud and fond of Old Main, and this book is meant to be for them and others who might not know the details of the asylum. The Old Main structure has been viewed fondly by the people in Utica since its birth, and the fascination continues today with throngs of people coming out for tours. The fight to stem the decay and the disappearance of Old Main is underway. May the grand structure stand in infinity and continue to remind and inspire those of the current generation.

Introduction

The Lunatic Asylum at Utica, fondly referred to as Old Main, is among a smattering of buildings on a sprawling campus on the western edge of the city of Utica, New York. The Old Main building is the centerpiece and the structure most identified with psychiatric care in New York State. Old Main opened its doors to patients on January 16, 1843. At that time, it was one of the first lunatic asylums in the United States. New York State had one small facility, the Bloomingdale Asylum, which housed a small, segmented population of the insane. Old Main would be the first asylum in the United States that would house people with all types of mental illnesses, from the entire state of New York, and would offer moral treatment that was prevalent in Europe but unknown on our shores. Previously, people with mental illness were locked away in basements, attics or prisons, where they would be shackled in irons. Hidden away from public view and forgotten with no hope.

In the annals of Oneida County, there is an account of the care of patients before the asylum was built. The following was taken from a mid-nineteenth-century publication:

The insane had been treated as the forsaken of God, in whom the evil spirit had taken up his abode. They were chained in cages and dungeons, without attendance, without clothing, fire or wholesome food, suffering from cold, heat, impure air, filth and vermin; in solitude and darkness; with no sounds but the clanking of their chains, the rattling of the bars and grates and their own shrieks, curses and moans; with never a kind word or look, and never visited but to be taunted and tormented, and teased to be made to exhibit the frenzy and power of the maniacuntil nature was worn out, may be after many yearsand death more kind than man, came to the relief of the sufferer, and earth was relieved of a burden and disgrace and his friends of a reproach. What a change!