Hexagonal-Tile Hallway Leading to an Exit Sign, Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building

Tiled institutional hallway with yellow walls and exit sign at Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building, Minnesota.
Tiled institutional hallway with yellow walls and exit sign at Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building, Minnesota.

The Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building, part of the former Fergus Falls State Hospital, was designed under the Kirkbride Plan promoted by psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride, which called for long, connected wings to maximize light and air for patients. The hospital opened in 1890 and operated for over a century before closing in 2005. Corridors like this one linked patient wards to central service areas, with tiled walls and terrazzo-style floors chosen for durability and ease of cleaning in a facility built to house thousands. The complex remains listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Taken June 2014

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