Kirkbride is a treasure of architecture

Published Monday, April 7, 2008

The Friends of the Kirkbride extend an invitation for all Fergus Falls citizens to tour the Kirkbride a jewel of national significance.

Everyone should tour this magnificent complex.

Do the people of Fergus Falls know that the Fergus Kirkbride is the only fully intact example of the liner plan remaining in Minnesota, and is one of the last and most complete Kirkbrides remaining in the United States?

Named for Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, the linear plan buildings were conceived as carefully controlled environments where fresh air, ample light — the Kirbride's principles were considered the state-of-the-art in mental hospital design for nearly half a century.

The Kirkbride complex at Fergus Falls, an architectural wonder, worked in brick and stone, was designed by Minneapolis architect Warren B. Dunnell, one of the state's first formally trained architects.

For well over a hundred years, the Fergus Falls State Hospital has been an important and highly visible landmark in Fergus Falls.

From a distance, the red-tiled, pyramidal roof of the administration building can be seen towering above the trees, pointing would-be visitors to their destination.

From closer up, the main complex, built according to the precepts of the so-called Kirkbride, or linear plan, stretches away on either side of the tower, too big to be taken in with a single glance.

The facility is 1,600 feet long, for a total of 396,000 square feet.

In the mid-1880s, when the hospital was still nothing more than an idea in the minds of state legislators, it nonetheless became a prize, highly sought after by a handful of developing towns that were certain the new state institution would be an enduring engine of prosperity for whichever community won it.

When it was new, the complex represented the state of the art in psychiatric facilities and treatment, tangibly demonstrating a young Minnesota's willingness to invest significant capital to ensure the social welfare of its citizens.

The Fergus Falls State Hospital was one of three Kirkbride-plan facilities erected in Minnesota and one of several dozen built in the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Today the complex has statewide significance as the only fully intact example of this plan remaining in Minnesota, and possesses national significance as one of the last and most complete Kirkbrides remaining in the United States.

The RTC is a wonderful asset in the City of Fergus Falls. It was once an economic engine in Fergus and it will be again.

I encourage the citizens of Fergus to call and take the tour. It is well worth your time to see this jewel.

It is truly a beautiful complex. It is free. It is right in your backyard. What a wonderful family outing.

Free tours given weekly. Call 218-736-5328 to make a reservation.

Laurie Mullen - Fergus Falls