Chimney and Courtyard Lawn at the Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building

The Fergus Falls Kirkbride Building was designed by architect Willoughby J. Edbrooke and completed in stages between 1890 and 1902 as the main structure of the Fergus Falls State Hospital. It follows the Kirkbride Plan, a 19th-century model for asylum design developed by psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride, which arranged patient wards in stepped, receding wings to maximize sunlight and ventilation. The building's central tower once housed administrative offices and marked the institution's formal entrance. Built of cream-colored brick with sandstone trim, the complex operated as a state psychiatric hospital until 2005. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.