Glazed Nurses’ Station at a Hallway Junction, Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building

The Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building was completed in 1890 as the main structure of the Fergus Falls State Hospital, designed by architect Warren B. Dunnell in the Kirkbride Plan favored by 19th-century asylum builders. The plan called for staggered, echelon-style wings extending from a central administrative pavilion, meant to maximize light and air for patients. Glazed nurses' or attendants' stations like this one were built into corridor junctions throughout the hospital, allowing staff to monitor multiple hallways from a single post. The hexagonal mosaic tile flooring, common in institutional buildings of the period, was chosen for its durability and ease of cleaning. The hospital operated under the Minnesota Department of Human Services until its closure in 2005, and the Kirkbride building has sat largely vacant since, though it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Taken June 2014