The Metropolitan State Hospital was a public hospital for the mentally ill, on grounds that extended across parts of Waltham, Lexington, and Belmont in Massachusetts, US. Founded in 1927, it was at one time the largest and most modern facility of its type in Massachusetts. It was closed in January 1992 as a result of the state's cost-cutting policy of closing its mental hospitals and moving patients into private and community-based settings. The main complex of buildings has subsequently been redeveloped into apartments. The hospital campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places 1994. The property also housed the Gaebler Children's Center for mentally ill youth.

History

The Metropolitan State Hospital's founding originated in legislation passed by the state in 1900, mandating that the state take over care for the mentally ill, which had in some cases only been handled at the local level. Site selection for a facility in the Greater Boston area, where the demand for additional space was the greatest, took until 1926. Ground was broken on the hospital buildings in 1926, and the facility was formally dedicated in 1928, and opened on October 29, 1930. Construction continued until 1935, with some stages under Works Progress Administration supervision. The complex cost $1.8 million and was considered the most modern mental health facility in the country. The grounds included the Met-Fern cemetery, a burial site it shared with the Fernald School.

In 1978, Metropolitan State patient Anne Marie Davee was murdered by another patient, Melvin W. Wilson.

The facility was closed in 1992 during a deinstitutionalization movement when most state mental hospitals in Massachusetts shut down and patients were placed in smaller group settings. The property was unused until redevelopment began in 2007.

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Waltham, Massachusetts
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Lexington, Massachusetts
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts

References

  • Metropolitan State Hospital
  • Massachusetts Department of Mental Health
  • . (Various documents).
  • Local History & Genealogy - Waltham Room, with information on the closing of the hospital
  • Waltham Land Trust: The Western Greenway
  • The area in the OpenStreetMap shows trails.