Gaebler Children's Center

Gaebler Children's Center was a psychiatric institution for severely mentally ill children and adolescents, located in Waltham, Massachusetts.

The center opened on October 8, 1955 near the grounds of the Metropolitan State Hospital and closed on January 31, 1992. It was named after William C. Gaebler, the second superintendent of the Metropolitan State Hospital. The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) closed the center as it was antiquated and could no longer serve the needs of the children it housed. According to the DMH, this closure coincided with the decision to place mentally ill children in community settings instead of in institutional settings. Others felt the center was closed due to budget cuts.

According to the Waltham Land Trust and "The Boston Globe", the grounds of the Gaebler Center are currently being considered for redevelopment. [cite web
title = The Waltham Land Trust
url = http://www.walthamlandtrust.org/call_to_action/lot_1_call_to_action.html]

References

External links

* [http://www.mass.gov/dmh/ Massachusetts Department of Mental Health]
* [http://www.metropolitanstatehospital.net/gaebler.html History of the Gaebler Center]
* [http://www.madpride.org/VFC10GaeblerHellandBack.htm Gaebler: hell and back]
* [http://www.madpride.org/VFC10GaeblerApology.htm A letter of apology]
* [http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/07/03/waltham_lauds_end_of_fast_track_land_sales/ "The Boston Globe": Waltham lauds end of 'fast-track' land sales]
* [http://www.opacity.us/site189_gaebler_childrens_center.htm Photos of the abandoned facility from 2005]