Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-10-16
Improvement at the W. L. Asylum.
LARGE ADDITION TO THE ACCOMMODA
TIONS FOR PATIENTS,

LARGE ADDITION TO THE ACCoMMoDA-
TIoNs FOR PATIENTS.
Thirty days ago, an important improve
ment was commenced at the W. l..
Asylum. which will be completed this
week and will furnish rooms for thirty
two more beds. 1t is the remodeling and
thorough renovation Of the old male build
ing which adjoins the new addition, and
which time had dilapidated beyond use.
The first thing that strikes visitor to the
remodeled building is the great addition
Of light, the arrangements for ventilation,
and the modern and handsome style of
the finishing which gives it the appear
ance of a hotel rather than an asylum for
the insane Each Of the four floors is
finished in different colors giving a pleas
ing variety to the interior. The most
radical of the changes has been the erec
ton Of brick tower four stories high and
1920 feet in size, with Is feet pitch, at
tached to the corner of the building and
each story of which is lighted by seven
windows. Its connection with the main
building is made by seven foot hall. In
this tower are the bath rooms and closets,
by which arrangement all of this is thrown
entirely clear of the sleeping apartments
of the patients. Another important i'm
provement is the ventilation, which is
now made by aspiration. The old wooden
hues havs been taken out and pipes
run from the basement to the
cupola with {. receiver on each floor
At the top of these pipes with
in the cupola are four cylinders resting
in water the evaporation of which causes
the aspiration Of the air. The pure air
enters from the yard at the basement floor
through two shafts. In this same build
ing the steam apparatus is entirely new
and of modern style. On each floor OF
the building are ten rooms, and an associa
ted dormitory which will accommodate
eight patients.
The walls of the building are kalsomin-
ed, except that for six feet from the
bottom there is frescoed wainscoting.
The first floor is finished in light oak with
plum colored painting; the second in dark
oak with light drab wainscoting; the
third in ash with pearl wainscoting, and
the fourth In walnut with pearl wainsc0t-
ing. Each floor has handsome gas fixtures
and the whole presents the appearance of
handsome interior of a modern hotel
with light and air from every quarter.
The whole work. which was done after
the plans Of DR.. Fauntleroy, the Superin-
! tendent, cost So 600, and notwithstanding
this outlay, and though the Asylum is car
rying nearly hundred patients in excess
of Its average number, the improvement
has been completed and yet leaves the in
stitutlon with 81 900 of its annual appro-
priation untouched.
The brick work was done by D. Nimmo;
the carpenters work by Messrs. Stratton
and Smith, and the painting by Messrs.
Stafford and Bradford.
In addition to this great improvement,
the northern side of the Asylum grounds
has beer enclosed with a handsome iron
railing 287 feet long, costing $500, and re-
placing the unsightly brick wall which
hid them from view. The old brick wall
on the northern side of the ward building
is being replaced by solid wall fourteen
feet high.
There are now 500 patients in the
Asylum-the largest number ever thele.