Utah State Hospital - Provo, UT
Utah State Hospital, Provo Utah
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Utah State Hospital
1300 East Center Street Provo, Utah 84606 (801) 344-4400 Utah State Hospital serves citizens from the entire state of Utah under the direction of the Utah Department of Human Services and Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. They provide treatment to individuals with Severe Mental Illness who are referred from the 11 Community Mental Health Centers operated throughout the state. They also provide Pediatric Services for children ages 6 - 18; Adults ages 18 and above as well as Forensic patients committed for mental health treatment through the Judicial Courts. Today the Hospital provides 324 beds for Utah's mentally ill citizens who require treatment in a more structured setting. Treatment is provided to patients ranging from age six years to geriatric age. Specialized programs are offered for children, adolescents, forensic and adult resident. |
Utah State Hospital History
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The Utah State Hospital began as the Territorial Insane Asylum in 1885 at Provo, Utah (which at the time was a days' travel from Salt Lake City). The particular site in Provo was some eight blocks from the nearest residence and was separated from the city by swampland and the city dump. The message this reveals about the prevailing attitudes regarding mental illness is unmistakable.
From its origin the purpose of the Hospital was to treat the mentally ill and to return them to a normal level of functioning. In spite of their best efforts, however, in its early days the facility was little more than a human warehouse. In fact, by 1955 the population at the hospital was over 1,500 patients. Courtesy of Utah State Hospital Main Building was constructed in 1885 and demolished in 1981. |
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The Milton Hardy Building
Constructed in 1908 and demolished in 1967. Named after Dr. Milton Hardy, who was the Hospital Superintendent at the time of construction. |
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The George Hyde Building
Constructed in 1921 and demolished in 2004. Named after George Hyde, who was the hospital superintendent at the time of construction. |
The Utah State Hospital Castle
Provo Castle at Utah State Hospital
Historic Utah State Hospital Castle
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Provo Castle and Amphitheater
The Provo Castle is a beautiful building surrounded by a nice park, pond, and mini golf course. The Castle was built during the 1930's as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). They built it as a source recreation and entertainment for patients at the Utah State hospital. It is included on the National Register of Historic Places. The castle amphitheater on the Utah State Hospital grounds in Provo was once converted into a haunted castle every October by its patients. The haunted castle originated as a Halloween party for the hospital, but became so popular the hospital made into a fundraising activity in 1971. Patients were the actors in the attraction, and all money raised went to the hospital’s recreation fund. The $100,000 raised over several nights is used to finance outings such as camping trips. Twenty-six years later, the haunted castle was forced to close. The National Alliance on Mental Illness said using mental illness patients as actors in a haunted attraction was offensive to those who have a mental illness. While the haunted castle will never be done again, it has not been forgotten. |
Utah State Hospital Museum, Provo Utah
Utah State Hospital "Cottage House"
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Utah State Hospital Museum
First building on the north side of the street as you enter the hospital. 1300 East Center St. Provo, UT 801-344-4635 or 801-344-4254
The Utah State Hospital Museum tells the hospital's 120-year history through photos and artifacts displayed in two rooms at the historic Old Superintendent's Home. The museum's exhibit provides a window into the history of mental-health treatment. Visitors can see straitjackets and other restraint devices used during the last 100 years to control or restrain patients. A Utica crib, essentially an adult-size bed with bars and a lid, and a tranquilizer chair used to hold and sedate patients, provide vivid examples of how far mental-health treatment has progressed in the past 70 years. Both the crib and the chair were used to treat the manic aspect of bipolar disorder before experts understood the condition. It is said implements and devices were used by staff at the hospital who thought they were doing their best for the patients. The hospital staff members weren't mean but merely followed the accepted mental-health practices of the time. |
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