The Muscatatuck State Hospital opened in 1920 as the Indiana Farm Colony for Feeble Minded Youth. It was one of several state hospitals serving Indiana's mentally disabled. According to the idea lab at Purdue University's webpage http://idealab.tech.purdue.edu/muscatatuck/home.html the hospital initially served only male youths. They lived in three farmhouses on this property near both Muscatatuck River and Brush Creek. Like the architecture at all of Indiana's state mental health institutions this campuses's architecture is wonderful.In the 1920s and 1930s the first dormitories went up on the campus and the first women became inmates. These dorms and most of the other existing buildings went up in the midst of the Art Deco Movement and they are grand representations of that style. These photos, captured with my telephone don't do justice to the marvelous Deco genre expressed in aluminum details and yellow brick walls.
The hospital building is an Art Deco gem built in the 1940s.
The state hospital stopped treating the mentally ill in 2005 and became an Indiana Army National Guard training center. Today, the campus holds acres of shipping containers, FEMA trailers, a inexplicable mosque, steel girders supporting concrete block half walls, and topsy turvy structures creating an intentional look and feel of a bombed-out town.
The state hospital stopped treating the mentally ill in 2005 and became an Indiana Army National Guard training center. Today, the campus holds acres of shipping containers, FEMA trailers, a inexplicable mosque, steel girders supporting concrete block half walls, and topsy turvy structures creating an intentional look and feel of a bombed-out town.
In the midst of this intentional chaos, the original buildings retain their streamlined machine-age stylishness.
"Inexplicable mosque"? Sadly the soldiers use that to practice raiding muslim mosques and gatherings. Very interesting architecture page. thanks!
ReplyDeleteAs a soldier myself who has been at MUTC several times. We DO NOT raid mosques. Our rules of engagement do not allow us to go into mosques. Maybe do some research about stuff like that before you go spotting off next time. And by the way, why do you feel you need to degrade the American military that way. You don't want to stand behind our troops feel free to stand in front
ReplyDeleteI'll leave both of these comments up but this will be the end of the conversation. I assume the fake mosque is in place for something like practicing military operations. But then I don't know for sure, which is why I didn't state a reason.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was there in July, 2014, the crescent had been replaced with a cross. Apparently it's a multi-use facility. :)
ReplyDeleteMy mother, Betty Walker helped bring light to the abuse in this mental facility. She told Larry Incolinko?? Not sure how to spell his last name. He was a reporter at Herald Times as of now. I'm not sure of the newspaper back then for Bloomington Indiana. My brother was a patient at this facility. The stories my mother tells me, brings tears to my eyes.
ReplyDelete