This story was updated to add new information.
MASSILLON – A deteriorating 130-year-old building that housed thousand of psychiatric patients in its heyday is being demolished.
The former Massillon State Hospital at 3000 Erie St. S was home to patients from across Ohio for much of the 1900s.
Doug Hampton, director of business development for Louisville-based Eslich Wrecking, said demolition of the old hospital building started May 4 and should take around seven weeks to complete. Eslich is heading-up the teardown process.
“It’s in really bad shape and almost falling down on its own,” said Hampton, noting the structure is mainly made of brick, sandstone and mortar.
CommQuest, a Canton-based mental health and addiction recovery nonprofit, acquired the building and property from the city in 2016, and is tearing it down for safety, appearance and the future benefit to clients.
A statement from CommQuest notes the building demo is part of a larger effort to develop the campus into “a trauma-sensitive environment that supports total well-being for people on their recovery journey.”
The property undergoing demolition will be transformed into open green space, which aims to provide a natural setting for clients to spend time outdoors during their recovery, Jennifer Bako, CommQuest’s director of marketing and fund development, wrote in an email.
CommQuest has met with the Massillon Museum and Stark County Historical Society to preserve some artifacts from the site to add to their collections, Bako said.
Ted Herncane, Massillon’s development director, said the city was notified recently that CommQuest, 1680 Nave Road SE, had applied for demo funds via Stark County.
The building has been in terrible shape for decades. About 10 years ago, there were conversations among Massillon officials about turning the site into a seasonal haunted house. But the effort never advanced beyond the discussion stage.
History of the former Massillon State Hospital building
During William McKinley’s first term as Ohio governor, Massillon was selected for the first state hospital site in the early 1890s. He later became the 25th U.S. president.
Construction of the hospital began in 1893 with the groundbreaking for McKinley Hall. The hall was built while McKinley was governor, and was the first facility used to house mentally ill patients in Ohio.
The 10,000-square-foot, three-story building was completed in 1897. It was designed by Yost and Packard Architects of Columbus.
The hospital opened to patients on Sept. 6, 1898, housing 300 people from 21 Ohio counties.
The facility was originally called the Eastern Ohio Mental Asylum, but was later changed to the Massillon State Hospital.
The hospital and other buildings on the property were never owned by city of Massillon when they operated. Funds were collected via city taxes, and the hospital was supported from money received from patients for services rendered.
By 1950, the facility housed 3,100 patients with approximately 365 full- and part-time workers and nurses. The expanse of the land was so beautiful that many family picnics took place on the lawn, as well as Massillon football and baseball games.
Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE
This article originally appeared on The Independent: ‘Bad shape’ Massillon State Hospital building gets the wrecking ball
Reporting by Steven M. Grazier, Massillon Independent / The Independent
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