Gaebler Children's Center

Gaebler Children's Center
Gaebler Children's Center
Established	1954
Construction Began	1955
Opened	1955
Closed	1992
Demolished	2011
Current Status	Demolished
Building Style	Single Building
Alternate Names	; Gaebler State Hospital; Gaebler Children's Psychiatric Unit;

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

History[edit]

A 1945 Governor's report called attention to the fact that there were children as young as seven among the patient population at Metropolitan State Hospital. Nine years later in 1954, a dedicated children's unit was established at Metropolitan State Hospital, names after Dr. William C. Gaebler, the second superintendent at Metropolitan. The center was officially opened on October 8, 1955. Early reports compared it favorably to the only other dedicated children's unit at the time established some years before at Rockland State Hospital in Orange County NY. Shortly before its closure, Gaebler was separated as an administrative unit from Metropolitan State Hospital. It closed on January 31, 1992.

Demolition of the Gaebler Children's Center was completed in January 2011. The work cost the City of Waltham approximately $637,000. There are no current plans for the 55 acre lot.