3 Comments Posted by ankh

wrote:
The plumbing main trunk with feeders coming in and the heating ductwork give an eerie, organic quality to the space. You can see the internal "organs", making the whole place seem as a single organism.
wrote:
Ornamentation was an integral part of the manufacturing process @ that time. Functional and decorative, the stars lighten the parts and save manufacturers on raw material. They simplify confinement by simplifying the manufacturing and assembly process. No bars and cross members to assemble. Less attachment points=less potential failure points. A creative solution to numerous issues inherent in manufacturing and confinement.
Re: cruelty. IMHO, it's a matter of perception.
wrote:
I don't think it's morbidity, but a brush with the unknown.
We don't truly know where we go after we pass, but I honestly believe there is too much phenomena out there to discount ghosts.
By the way, these pictures are astoundingly beautiful and well executed. I am visualizing the building not as it is now, but as it was. It seems to be such a light, airy and gorgeous place to be despite the buildings *job* for lack of a better word. I can see the nurses in their crisp white dresses and caps moving from room to room.
Even the casket photos didn't disturb me. They are just a utilitarian cog in the machine of the sanitarium.
I'm glad I stumbled onto this site!