In July I visited the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia, for a photography tour. From the TALA website ( Trans-AlleghenyLunaticAsylum.com ):

“The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, constructed between 1858 and 1881, is the largest hand-cut stone masonry building in North America . . . It was designed by the renowned architect Richard Andrews following the Kirkbride plan, which called for long rambling wings arranged in a staggered formation, assuring that each of the connecting structures received an abundance of therapeutic sunlight and fresh air. The original hospital, designed to house 250 souls, was open to patients in 1864 and reached its peak in the 1950’s with 2,400 patients in overcrowded and generally poor conditions. Changes in the treatment of mental illness and the physical deterioration of the facility forced its closure in 1994.”

Portions of the main building have been restored and have electricity, but most of the remainder and the other buildings are without heat or power and are in considerable disrepair. The photography tour, which is offered only a few times a year, allows visits to four of the buildings and the grounds. Tour days (usually Sundays) include two sessions; I attended both. The 4-hour sessions are “semi-guided,” which means that the group moves from floor to floor within the main building and to the other buildings together. Since I was in both sessions, I was able to move about more freely in the afternoon.

The restored areas are pleasant, and one can see how the setting could have been considered therapeutic. The abandoned areas, and particularly the high-security areas, give a quite different impression.