Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-15
ACTION NOT YET TAKEN
THE PROFFER OF SITE FOR THE
ASYLUM BUILDINGS.
Doubt Concerning the Location
Superintendent Preparing to Carry
Out Original Plans.

The offer made by private parties recent
ly to donate land to the government upon
which the addition to the Government Hos
pital for the Insane might be constructed.
as stated in The Star at the time, has yet
to be taken advantage of by the officials
before whom it was placed A letter SIM
liar to the one sent to Secretary Hitchcock
of the Interior Department, in which site
was rendered but not designated. was also
forwarded to DR.. A. b. Richardson, the
superintendent Of the government hospital
upon neither Of which. it is understood. has
any action been taken.
There appears to be no definite under
standing among officials to where the
ground it is proposed to donate lies. al
though in a general way it is known to be
near to the main grounds of the institution.
How much it is proposed to donate and just
what its availability as building site Is
are also in doubt.
DIR. Richardson's Views.
DR.. Richardson, in speaking of the mat
ter last evening, stated that so lar as ne
has to do with the question as the super
intendent of the hospital. he would not as
sent to the institution receiving as dona-
ton any ground which, from the fact OF its
accordance or for any other reason. might
tend to show an attempt to coerce Congress
| to purchase other ground for the asylum In
the future.
Dr. Richardson was emphatic on this
point, and it Is the understanding that other
officials who have to deal with the subject
take the same view. The whole matter,
therefore. has not advanced IN any way, IL
| is inferred, since the offer was made 10 the
| Secretary of the Interior. In the meantime
the superintendent is perfecting his plans
| for the construction Of the addition to the
| institution, which is to provide aecommo-
dations for LOCO patients, and TOT MYco
the sundry civil bill passed at ths.date ses-
sion Of Congress authorizes the placing of
contracts at cost of nearly s1,o0o,ocl.
Feature. o. Construction.
DR.. Richardson's reputation as designer
and conductor of modern buildings for the
cayS of the insane preceded him to St
Elizabeth's Asylum, and with the amount
which is to be spent in the erection of the
buildings it is expected he will be able to
add greatly in point of adaptability for the
purpose constructed. effectiveness of con-
struction and style of building to the pres
ent number of buildings known collectively
as the Government Hospital for the Insane.
The new buildings are to be constructed on
the detached building style.
Some of the cottages and other buildings
constructed under the supervision OF Dr
Richardson when at Massilon, Ohio as the
superintendent of the state hospital, We're
built on this plan, and are said to be models
of their kind, with extremely quiet archl-
tectural features, and each containing
every convenience for the purpose for
which 1t was constructed.
The plans of DR.. Richardson for the new
buildings at ST. Elizabeth will have to be
submitted. of course, to the Secretary of
| the Interior and the members of the board
of visitors Of the institution before being
carried into effect. DR.. Richardson has In
mind the construction of ten or eleven OF
the twenty-eight or more buildings Of the
addition on the grounds of the main hos
pftal Enclosure. 1t is his purpose to pro-
vide that the gateway lately built on Mich
OILS avenue, about midway Of the asylum
property fronting to the west of that thor
oughfare, shall be made the principal pub
lie entrance and exit for the institution.
To the west Of these gates, If his plan be
carried out will be erected a building for
the hospital offices. and to be used also
as distributing point for the new patients
constantly arriving. Within easy reach.
and yet permitting of plenty Of room, the
plans developed by the superintendent show
new separate accommodations for the white
and colored female patients. This Is re-
garded as an important provision, it
will result in the removal Of the female
insane, white and cOlored, from the quar-
tiers they occupy now In buildings very
close to the male patients and in crowded
wards.
Classification of Patients.
Some of the other buildings the superin-
tendent has in contemplation provide for a
necessary and satisfactory classification of
the patients according to their condition or
symptoms-as, for instance, building for
the disturbed class, another for bedridden
patients, and so on. The construction of
the Office building in the quarter named
and Of other buildings in the same direction
will result in allowing greater freedom and
more room to the patients who will finally
OcctIpy that portion Of the hosrital Of which