Nurses’ station with built-in cabinetry, Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building

The Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building, part of the former Fergus Falls State Hospital, was designed in the 1890s under the Kirkbride Plan, a 19th-century model for asylum architecture that emphasized natural light and ventilation for patient wards. Glass block windows, common in early-20th-century institutional renovations, replaced some original openings to maintain daylight while adding privacy and security. Built-in wooden cabinetry and drawers like these were standard fixtures in staff work areas, used for storing medical supplies, records, and equipment. The hospital operated for over a century before closing in the early 2000s, and the Kirkbride building has remained largely vacant since, drawing interest for its scale and preservation status on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo taken in June 2014.