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==Background and Origins== | ==Background and Origins== | ||
β | Since 1839 the City of New York had been operating an asylum on Blackwell's Island for the care of the | + | Since 1839 the City of New York had been operating an asylum on Blackwell's Island for the care of the cities insane. At the time the vast majority of the insane under municipal care were poor immigrants, which at the time were pouring into New York City. As a result the population of the [[Blackwell's Island Asylum]] had steadily risen and was maintained in a perpetual state of overcrowding, providing only custodial care. To combat the rising population the asylum built a three story building for violent patients and later expanded to a three story building, formerly a workshop for the neighboring workhouse. Finally a series of one story pavilions were built however by 1868 the asylum only had accommodation for 640 of the 1035 patients under their care. The lack of room for expansion on Blackwell's Island, already hosting the city Asylum, Prison, Almshouses, and Workhouse, caused the city to look elsewhere. Nearby Ward's Island had been owned by the Department of Emmigration since 1847 and was already home to other city institutions. As a result a site was picked and the new branch of the asylum was established in 1868, opening to patient on December 12, 1871. |
[[File:Manhattan Kirkbride.png|320px|left]] | [[File:Manhattan Kirkbride.png|320px|left]] | ||