Wisconsin Memorial Hospital
| Wisconsin Memorial Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Construction Began | 1921 |
| Opened | 1923 |
| Current Status | Closed |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Location | Mendota, WI |
| Alternate Names |
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History
Construction began on the Wisconsin Memorial Hospital in the fall of 1921 with the two story, brick main hospital building finished in early 1923. The facility was created for the treatment of mental illnesses of World War I veterans. Wisconsin ran the Memorial Hospital until 1937 and was reimbursed by the federal government for operations. Starting in 1937, the Veterans Administration leased Memorial hospital for $1 a year for treatment of mentally ill veterans. The VA returned the facility to Wisconsin in July 1948. Veteran patients were transferred to a new VA facility, Tomah Memorial Hospital, in Tomah, Wisconsin.It was known as Veterans Administration hospital, Farwell's Point during the period it was operated by the VA.
Originally, the State Memorial Hospital was not administratively part of Mendota State Hospital. The Memorial Hospital buildings came under the control of the Mendota State Hospital after the VA moved patients to Tomah and returned the facility to the state in July 1948. This was the only expansion of Mendota State Hospital from 1904 to 1952. Regaining control of the Memorial Hospital from the VA allowed the state to move patients out of the 90-year-old main building and out of upper floors while replacement facilities were constructed in the 1950s.
