Mosaic-Tile Corridor Leading to an Exit Sign at Fergus Falls Kirkbride

The Kirkbride Building at the former Fergus Falls Regional Treatment Center was designed by architect Warren B. Dunnell and completed in 1890 as the Fergus Falls State Hospital. It followed the Kirkbride Plan, a 19th-century model for mental health facilities developed by psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride, which emphasized long, staggered wings to maximize light and airflow for patients. Corridors like this one connected patient wards and staff areas throughout the sprawling brick complex, which once housed more than 2,000 patients at its peak. The hospital closed in 2005, and the building has sat vacant since, its interior finishes—including its patterned tile floors—largely intact despite decades without maintenance. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.