Fairfield State Hospital

Fairfield State Hospital (also known as Fairfield Hills State Hospital or Fairfield Hills), a psychiatric hospital in Newtown, Connecticut, which operated from 1931 until 1995. At its peak the hospital housed over 4,000 patients. The entire facility was owned and operated by the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health.

History

Fairfield State Hospital was created due to overcrowding at the other two state hospitals. Walter P. Crabtree, Sr designed the campus-like facility. Dedicated to a common development theme, the institutional buildings were of a modified colonial style, built of red brick and attractively accented. Constructed largely in the 1930s, the buildings ranged in size from 2 to 3 stories, and every building being fireproof throughout. Some later constructed buildings were built during the 1940s and 1950s.

The hosptial contained 16 buildings on 100 acres, plus another 670 acres of land around them. The acreage consisted of large farm meadows and a forest. A circular network of roads connected the buildings.

The hospital opened and received its first patients from Connecticut Valley Hospital in June 1931. There were initially less than 500 patients, and only 3 doctors. By the late 1960s Fairfield Hills housed more than 4,000 patients, 20 doctors, 50 nurses, and 100 assorted other employees.

Closure

Due to deinstitutionalization in the 1960s and 1970s, there was less of a need for hospitals like Fairfield Hills. With the high cost of running underused hospitals, state hospitals around the country shut their doors. In 1995, Gov. John Rowland closed Fairfield Hills and its sister hospital, Norwich State Hospital. All patients that remained were moved to Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=990CE3DB1E3DF936A35757C0A963958260]

The Town of Newtown rented out the first floor of Canaan House from the mid-1990s up until 2005; it was home to the town's Board of Education, Planning & Zoning, and Fire Marshall. The Reed Intermediate School is also located on the property.

Therapy and treatment

During its operation, treatments at Fairfield Hills included hydrotherapy, use of the drugs metrazol and insulin in shock therapy, patient seclusion, electric shock therapy, treatment of alcoholism, and frontal lobotomy. In the first year that psychosurgery was performed at Fairfield Hills over 100 patients were treated.

Tunnels

All of the patient buildings were connected by a series of tunnels. These tunnels were mostly used to move large groups of patients between the buildings, especially during the winter months and on bad weather days. Doctors, workers also used the tunnels, and even corpses were also moved between hospital buildings by them.

Buildings

The following are the main campus buildings of Fairfield Hills. They were named after Fairfield County cities and towns:
* Administration buildings
** NEWTOWN HALL - Administration Building
** BRIDGEPORT HALL - Central Food Services
** GREENWICH HOUSE - Offices and Medical Hospital
** SHELTON HOUSE - Administration and Patient Care
** PLYMOUTH HALL - Chapel, Theater, Gymnasium and Workshops
** POWER PLANT - Steam Heat for Buildings
** STRATFORD HALL - Library
** YALE LABORATORY - Laboratory and Morgue
* Employee buildings
** DANBURY HALL - Employee Housing
** NORWALK HALL - Employee Dormitory
** STAMFORD HALL - Employee Dormitory
** WATERTOWN HALL - Employee Apartments
** WOODBURY HALL - Employee Dormitory
** WASHINGTON SQUARE - Doctor Residences
** plus several single family homes
* Patient Housing
** BRIDGEWATER HOUSE - Resident Treatment and Housing
** CANAAN HOUSE - Resident Treatment and Housing
** COCHRAN HOUSE - Resident Treatment and Housing
** FAIRFIELD HOUSE - Resident Treatment and Housing
** KENT HOUSE - Resident Treatment and Housing
** LITCHFIELD HOUSE - Resident Treatment and Housing

Current status

The Town of Newtown acquired the former Fairfield Hills Hospital property from the State of Connecticut in 2004. The Town of Newtown established the Fairfield Hills Authority, a municipal development agency, to implement new construction on the site. This calls for reserving a major portion of the property for municipal and cultural use, as well as passive and active recreational use. [http://newtownct.virtualtownhall.net/public_documents/NewtownCT_FFHills/index]

The Town of Newtown selected Bridgeport Hall as the location for its new municipal offices. Renovation of the building is underway, and completion is scheduled for the spring of 2009.

In popular culture

The film "Man to Man" was shot in Kent House in the late 1950s. It is a very rare piece that was made for psychological education.

The feature film "Sleepers" used the hospital as a setting. Actors on location included Robert De Niro and Kevin Bacon. Several scenes used local boys as extras. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117665/locations]

An episode of MTV's Fear was shot at Fairfield Hills. It was featured on Season 1, Episode 2 and was renamed 'St. Agnes Hospital'. This was mainly to protect the hospital from local teenagers, ghost hunters, and urban explorers. The real location has been common knowledge on the internet almost since the original air date of the episode.

The film adaptation of "The Madman's Tale" was to be filmed between October 26, 2007 and January 8, 2008. Due to complications with the cast, production was stopped before anything was filmed on location. [http://www.newtownbee.com/News/2007-12-13__13-54-59/Where+Is+The+Movie+At+Fairfield+Hills%3f]

Haunted?

Since the facility was closed in 1995 Fairfield Hills has been the object of several paranormal investigations, and allegations that the buildings are haunted have been raised on the internet and on television. Several former patients have claimed that treatment there was very harsh, cruel, and abusive. [http://www.fairfieldhills.com/pinFFH.html] Some content that this is the reason behind the haunted activity at the facility, but so far no proof has been forthcoming.

The Town of Newtown denies the site is haunted, and has closed off the facility to all film crews, with police and guards around the area. [http://www.newtownbee.com/Opinions/2004-07-29__14-29-07/Editorial+Inkdrops%3a+Chasing+Away+The+Ghosts+Of+Fairfield+Hills%27+Reputation]

References

External links

* [http://www.fairfieldhills.com/index.html The Lost Asylum: Fairfield Hills State Hospital]
* [http://news.webshots.com/album/558515060pOPkXA Recent photography of the hospital]
* [http://newtownct.virtualtownhall.net/public_documents/NewtownCT_FFHills/index Newtown's plans with the site]
* [http://www.cslib.org/agencies/fairfieldhillshospital.htm Connecticut State Library information]
* [http://www.abandonedbutnotforgotten.com/fairfield_state_hospital.htm Fairfield Hospital at the Abandoned But Not Forgotten Website]