Danvers State Hospital is mainly a psychiatric hospital located in Danvers, Massachusetts, United States. This multi-acre, the self-contained lunatic hospital was opened in 1878. It was included in the National Register of Historic Places. The facility was surrounded by oak, apple, and pine woodlands.

History of Danvers State Hospital: 

 The Danvers State Hospital was opened after four years of its construction. The whole hospital was built under the surveillance of famous Boston designer Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee. At that time the whole construction cost around 1.5 million. The construction consisted of two main buildings, an administration building, four radiating wings on each side of the administrative blocks, kitchen, laundry, chapel, and dormitories. Water was supplied from the Middleton pond to the hospital. The main building has two different sections for male and female patients. And the most outer part of the building was for contentious patients.The hospital was initially built for 500 patients, with an attic space where 1000 more can live. but from the end of the 1930s to 1940 the hospital was overcrowded with 2000 patients from all over the united states. 

In its early stages, the hospital was built to serve residential treatments and care to its patients but in later years started training programs for nurses, a pathological library in 1889 and 1895 respectively.The hospital was supervised by one of the most renowned doctors of his time, Dr. Thomas Story Kirkbride, he was earlier superintendent doctor at the Pennsylvania hospital. He believes that a beautiful setting and compassionate environment are best for treatment and make the patients recover from their illness.

Reason for censured the Denver State Hospital 

After 1920 there were many reports of inhuman shock treatment, drugs, lobotomies, and straitjackets were used to keep the overcrowded hospital under control. For all these controversies and ill-treatment with the patients, the number of patients was going to decrease in 1960.

Another reason for this hospital's censure was huge cuts of allowance, this is probably the main reason for this hospital closing.

Abandonment of the Denver State Hospital 

In early 1969 the hospital started to close all its wards and facilities. In 1992, on June 24  the whole hospital was closed and isolated. The last remaining patients were moved to the Bonner Medical building, which was across the campus. 

In 2005 this old abandoned hospital was purchased by AvalonBay communities. They plan to build residential apartments by demolishing the old structure. But within this time the old hospital was a part of the National Register of Historic Places. But it couldn't stop the hospital's demolition. Most of the buildings were demolished in 2006.

Recent situation of the Denver State Hospital 

On 7th April 2007, the remaining four buildings of the old hospital and the new constructions of AvalonBay were caught in a massive fire and were highly damaged.

Later in the year 2014, AvalonBay sold the whole property to the DSF group for $108.5 million. Now the DSF groups plan to renovate the property.