Georgia asylum buildings could soon be demolished
Thousands of Georgians were once confined to the world’s largest mental institution, authorized by the state in 1837 as the “Lunatic, Idiot, and Epileptic Asylum.”
The Milledgeville asylum’s miserable conditions were infamous, with practices of the time like lobotomy and electroshock therapy as well as primitive tactics like metal cages, straitjackets and involuntary sterilizations.
The nearly 13,000 patients were served by 48 “doctors,” some of whom were patients at the asylum themselves. In 2007, 42 suspicious deaths at the asylum, which had been downsized and renamed Central State Hospital, spurred a U.S. Department of Justice investigation, and by 2010, the state announced most of the asylum would be closed for good.
EXECUTIVE ORDER
But now, the state is demolishing three prominent buildings at Central State Hospital — and wiping away some of the brickand-mortar testament to the darker side of Georgia’s history. In July, Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order allowing the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to demolish three main buildings that sit on what is known as the campus’ pecan grove: Walker, Green and Jones. The iconic Powell building, which was the original building, would be left untouched.
The planned demolition has prompted outcry from historic preservationists and local citizens, who argue with the local authority charged with transforming the property and the state agency’s plan to demolish the buildings. Preservationists argue the hospital’s historical significance is too valuable to be destroyed.
While there is no set date for demolition, conversations about the hospital’s future, which have continued for more than 10 years, remain ongoing.
On Oct. 26, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities sent an initial submission to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Historic Preservation Division for consultation on the demolition, according to Jennifer Dixon, the division’s director. The state agency is expected to respond to the agency’s consultant by Nov. 22, and while not typically required to conduct site visits, did conduct one for the Central State Hospital property.
In 2010, the state established the Central State Redevelopment Authority, which was tasked with creating an initiative to repurpose some of the buildings for jobs and tax revenue that was eventually named “Renaissance Park.” The redevelopment authority has brokered several commercial deals on some of the buildings but has not taken control of all the buildings or the three in line for demolition.
Edwin Atkins, unofficial hospital historian and founder of the preservationist group Friends of Central State Hospital, said the Renaissance Park rebranding was the first indication he remembers that the property would likely be up for future demolition.
“They want to get rid of the bad image of Central State Hospital, so they changed the name to Renaissance Park, a rebirth, something new, and they want to get rid of all the old buildings,” Atkins said.
The state had a contract with Baldwin County to provide fire services for the hospital, but conflicts over that agreement resulted in the county filing a lawsuit against the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities in 2021.
“If you’re going to look at a catalyst for demolition, it would probably be the lawsuits that Baldwin County brought against the state,” Chair of the Central State Hospital Local Redevelopment Authority Johnny Grant said. Part of the Baldwin County lawsuit addressed the hospital’s deterioration that presented a fire hazard and increased liability for the state.
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
A few years ago, Grant said, a Florida company also showed interest in the property the hospital is on. The company eventually pulled out because it did not have the money to demolish the buildings — a problem that would make most projects on the Milledgeville property economically unfeasible, Grant said. If cleared, “the space would be more attractive, less dangerous and more conducive to finding some future purpose,” he said.
Grant and Mike Couch, the previous executive director of the redevelopment authority, agree the demolition allows for greater economic opportunity in Milledgeville.
“We did something that’s never been done in the state of Georgia before — we quantified the value of real estate as something other than dollars. It becomes the value of jobs, the value of property tax inducement,” Couch said.
The setup of the redevelopment authority allows property to be transferred from the state to the redevelopment authority for economic development purposes, Grant said, noting the redevelopment authority declined an offer for the bulk of the hospital property, including the three buildings and many more, because of an inability to maintain them or deal with the buildings’ liability. Instead, the hospital property remained in the hands of the state.
Several controversies riddled the lead-up to the demolition executive order. A year ago, an asbestos abatement at the hospital prompted criticism after the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, which had not gotten demolition approval, characterized the work as a safety issue unrelated to demolition. The Saporta Report later reported Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities had a list of buildings targeted for demolition after reviewing the contractor documents.
“The state began work on abating asbestos a little more than a year ago, and it was made known at the time that discussions were underway about how to mitigate the very real safety risks those properties present,” said Ashley Fielding, assistant commissioner of agency affairs with Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
The Saporta Report also reported that Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities’ numbers for the cost of preservation were made after a single undocumented phone call with an unnamed architect. Saporta Report’s open records request for all documents pertaining to the demolition decision yielded no evidence of historic preservation alternatives or consultations about cost.
A Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities official later told the online news outlet the preservation analysis was based on the undocumented phone call. Fielding told the Georgia Recorder that the agency’s staff talked to an architect who gave them some estimates about the cost.