Corner Turret Rising Above the Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building

The Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building was designed by Warren B. Dunnell and completed in 1890 as the main structure of the Fergus Falls State Hospital, a state-run institution for the mentally ill. Its design follows the Kirkbride Plan, developed by psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride, which called for staggered wings extending from a central administrative section to maximize light and ventilation in patient wards. The building is constructed of cream-colored brick in the Romanesque Revival style, with a slate roof and a corner turret capped by a pyramidal spire. The hospital operated under various names until it closed in the early 2000s, and the building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Taken June 2014