1857 - Austin State Hospital Administration Building - Austin, Texas
Posted by: 
Raven
N 30° 18.444 W 097° 44.230
14R E 621424 N 3353523
Erected in 1857 and completed by 1861, the Austin State Hospital Administration Building is the third oldest standing state building in Texas and the state's oldest hospital system for the care and treatment of the mentally ill.
Waymark Code: WMMB88
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/25/2014
Views: 3
"The old Texas State Lunatic Asylum, which now houses the administrative staff of the Austin State Hospital, is the third oldest standing public building [in the state of Texas]. With its completion in 1861 in the lush countryside north of Austin, the hospital stood as a beacon of hope and tolerance for the treatment of the mentally ill. [...]
The original building, which was dressed up with a classical portico in 1904, offered three stories and a basement for administrative offices and staff and patient quarters. Its thick, hard plaster walls could endure frequent scrubbing and the thick limestone walls and high ceilings offered relief from the Texas heat. Noisy patients were separated from quiet ones, and all patients lived above ground in rooms with at least one window. As the patient population grew from the initial 12 patients to nearly 700 by the late 1890's, additional wings and buildings sprang up. The asylum functioned as a self-supporting village with artesian wells, gardens, a dairy, ice factory, and a sewing/tailor shop. These other historic structures were eventually destroyed by fire or demolished to make way for newer buildings. [...]
The Austin State Hospital, which once housed more than 3,000 patients during the 1960's, currently serves as an acute care facility for its 300 patients. Patients typically stay several days to a few weeks until their condition stabilizes and they can return to their communities. The focus of treatment is stabilization of acute psychiatric illnesses and return to the community where outpatient support services can be provided by the community centers that work with ASH."
Source -- Texas Dept of State Health Services: (
visit link)
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