Just after my wife and I had moved to Northampton, Massachusetts in the late 1990s, we discovered a crumbling, historic landmark just up the hill from our home. Long neglected and hidden behind overgrown bushes and vines, the rambling wreck known by locals as Old Main was both spooky and magnificent. I was instantly fascinated by the Northampton State Hospital and began photographing its exterior during our regular dog walks there. Eventually, when I understood it was to be demolished, my goal became to document the building as thoroughly as I could. Twice, I was briefly permitted inside with my camera.
The resulting panoramic tour, taken between 1998-2001 was posted on a website hoping to save the property back at the start of the millennia. The online version of the tour came down though, along with the building, in 2006. In 2018, the images were featured in my first book, A Panoramic Tour of the Northampton State Hospital.
Now, to commemorate the downfall of the historic landmark—and fill a gap in my online portfolio—I present the tour again, warts and all.
As you’ll see, the quality of the images is often lacking. They are all low resolution compared to my current tours. Back then, I was using cutting edge digital cameras for the time. Initially, though, those cameras were only impressive in that they kind of worked. Still, with the building now in a landfill, these images, sometimes too grainy or too contrasty, offer the best idea of what exploring the building was like in its final days. If I could, I’d gladly reshoot the whole tour.
There are many details worthy of note, but I will let the tour stand for itself—with one exception. There is a false wall built in the middle of one stretch of hallway that deserves an explanation. The building was used as a movie set for a variety of productions, such as Cider House Rules. This false wall and the green paint with crazed scratching in the sunroom next to it were set dressings for the psychological thriller, In Dreams, with Annette Bening and directed by Neil Jordan. (The 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is generous.)
I’ve written at length about my experiences working with an advocacy group to save the building (along with the book, there was a feature article, “How Not to Save Old Main”), but anyone familiar with historic preservation efforts knows the general themes and how the sad story ends.
Our modern day world prioritizes profit over all else. The value of everything is determined by cash alone. Key among the treasures once prized but now often considered up-for-grabs are our public parks and institutional buildings.
If there’s a lesson particular here, with the Northampton State Hospital, it has to do with its namesake town. Even though we live in a region known for its five colleges and universities (and there are more than that!), history is never completely safe anywhere. Especially history of the troubling variety. Historic spaces require constant stewardship, even when your government isn’t actively trying to censor and eliminate our past.
When others destroy their historic landmarks, we might shake our heads. When it happens in our own backyards, it’s all too common to look the other way or shrug our shoulders as irreplaceable public land and history is sold off for cash.
We all deserve better.
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