The Austin State Hospital • 4110 Guadalupe St.
Construction of the Administration Building of the Austin State Hospital – known as the Texas State Lunatic Asylum until 1925 – began in 1857, one hundred and fifty years ago. It was influenced by the Kirkbride plan for asylums. Thomas Story Kirkbride (1809-1883) thought that architectural design could be therapeutic, with spacious, airy, bright rooms that looked out on pleasant vistas and, as a result, restored disturbed minds. Noted local architect Conrad Stemme (1807-1877) designed the building; its construction was supervised by Abner Cook (1814-1884). It was built of local limestone with layers of sand in the floors to provide both thermal and sound insulation. Its linear plan emphasized a ward system whereby patients could be housed according to their diagnoses: the “noisy insane” could be separated from the “quiet insane” and the “filthy insane” removed from the “clean insane.” Only four of its planned 16 wards were completed by the start of the Civil War, which delayed completion of the project. Additional wings and a neo-classical portico were added later.
In addition to patients, all staff, including the superintendent and his family, lived in the building until a separate residence was built for them in 1879. They and “maiden ladies” employed by the asylum lived on the third floor. Bachelors occupied the basement. The building, which has served in scenes for the movies Courage Under Fire, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, and Secondhand Lions, now houses the administration and staff of Austin State Hospital and is recognized as the third oldest public building in Texas.