In the town of Waltham, MA, there is derelict structure that stands among greenery and walking paths. Its slowly decaying form oddly juxtaposed with the surrounding parkland. This is the last remaining untouched building of a former insane asylum complex.
The front of the Administration Building
The Metropolitan State Hospital opened in 1930, the last of its kind built by the Commonwealth. The large, multi-building campus was created to treat patients suffering from mental illness. The facility ultimately closed in 1992. The costs involved with operating the hospital and maintaining its aging and outdated buildings proved to be too high. The property sat idle for years, until much of it was turned into apartments in the 2000s. Today, only the administration building remains as it was, albeit decayed and ominous.
A path no longer used
Often brought up in discussions about the hospital is a dreadful crime that happened on the grounds. In August 1978, a patient named Anne Marie Davee was murdered by another one of the hospital’s patients. When the murderer was finally identified, he brought investigators to where he had buried her body. Disturbingly, he was also in possession of seven of the victim’s teeth.
The main entrance
Getting to the administration building (properly known as the Dr. William F. McLaughlin building) is quite simple. It is clearly visible as you drive on Metropolitan Parkway. There is a small parking lot right next to it, and a dog park in close proximity. Naturally, its windows and entrances are boarded up, and entering is prohibited.
The structure is slowly being taken over by vegetation and it has certainly seen better days. As you look around, you notice the vestiges of its former prominence. The remnants of a circular driveway are in front of the main stairs, and dilapidated flagpoles sit inside that circle. It’s strange to think that once, the building was a key piece of a large complex treating over a thousand patients. Now it sits silent.
Back of the Administration Building
Old flagpoles
Location:
Metropolitan State Hospital
Metropolitan Parkway
Waltham, MA 02452
Map:
https://goo.gl/maps/ohpDaNygTbKJ1HRF6
Sources:
Hogarty, Richard A. (1996) “Downsizing the Massachusetts Mental Health System: The Politics of Evasion,” New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 12 : Iss. 1 , Article 3. Available at: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol12/iss1/3.
Metropolitan State Hospital. MetState.com. Accessed 2019. https://www.metstate.com.
“Metropolitan State Hospital.” National Park Service. September 7, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/places/metropolitan-state-hospital.htm.
Preer, Rober. “State hospital site now home to luxury housing.” The Boston Globe. October 18, 2017. http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/10/18/state_hospital_site_now_home_to_luxury_housing/.
“Waltham Ghost Story: The Former Metropolitan State Hospital.” Waltham Landing. October 31, 2015. https://www.walthamlanding.com/2015/10/31/waltham-ghost-story-the-former-metropolitan-state-hospital/.
Written by A. P. Sylvia
