Comments

Margie,
I’m so sorry for your loss. I walk my dog through the park that is now there. I wanted to look up the history because I could feel a presence and it peaked my curiosity. Your brother is still in that school and I’m pretty sure he’s not the only spirit there. What was his name if you don’t mind me asking?

wow, amazing. Thank you Felicity for your documentation. I am just a bit confused, the entire building IS down now? Obviously it is mostly gone, but I am surprised the chimneys were left standing. Seems like they would be unstable unsupported by the frame of the building. I venture they must have SOME plans for preserving at least the bases of them? And it appears the stone base and arches are to be saved as well?
I see among the salvaged items are a balustrade [that seems in amazingly good condition] I'd guess it was from the portion that was enclosed within the auditorium of the 50's era portion, for it to be in that good shape, the rest had been splintered and rotten for years.
I see some exterior carved brackets, as well as a portion of scrollwork from the inset half timbered panels that centered each gable. This appears from the courtyard portion, the front facades lost the lathed portion years ago. I am quite surprised they are salvaging anything at all, there is [was!] so little 'fabric' left intact here. And that does appear to be the skylight from the elevator, but maybe from the 1920's wing.
You can see atop the brick elevator shaft, which was installed c. 1908, where it's skylight sat. The actual elevator itself is from a much older era than Halcyon, it was an antique black iron "birdcage" style. It actually looked kind of sinister, not to mention hazardous as hell. Wonder if they fished that elevator out of the shaft, or will? Anyway, all of these components should be saved if possible, for posterity, and perhaps incorporated as part of an interpretive history that might be part of this parcel's conversion. But they may just end up being sold, or whatever. No great loss, the real gems of this place were brazenly stolen years ago. There is certain superb fireplace in particular from here that mysteriously graces a nearby property. But I guess possession is 9/10th's of the law, eh? Then again at least it was saved, I suppose.

In any event, it is a little heartening that someone at least saw a bit of value, historic or otherwise, in a small few architectural details left to save on her dying day. Hope it bodes well for the conversion to parkland, and that as much care is taken about it.
It cost HJ Davison Jr. a million dollars to build Halcyon Hall. Much more is now being spent to raze it. Unconverted dollars, of course, but it just underscores the poetically stupid disregard we have had for many historical resources in our country. I do think it is changing, however, the loss of a place such as this is the illustrative example that convinces, alas much too late to save. That it's passing allows Millbrook's other major landmark to live on restored is a good degree of consolation, certainly the best under the circumstances, but it does not lessen the regretful shame of it's disappearance collectively for Millbrook. I'd say it is a lesson learned for sure, and is demonstrated by this entire project's RESOLUTION, at least, to carry through, and on. But it is certainly bittersweet, and poignant, for just about everyone I'd say, probably even many of the gentlemen actually taking the wrecker to it, I'd venture.
I love that it didn't go down easy, both in demolition, and in its 45 years of splendorous abandonment. For that, I toast: Hail Halcyon Hall.

OMG just the towers HUH complete disbelief great pics hopefully I can be there in Oct

Felicity,

Thank you so much for doing this for us all. So sad to see her end come, even though we knew it was coming, just hard to see it still. She stood proudly for a long, long time & now, she rests in peace. We'll always have galleries of photos & videos to look back on her with, just won't be the same knowing she is no longer with us.

R.I.P. Halcyon Hall. Goodbye, Ms. Bennett.

Well, that's all folks. Could the last one out turn off the lights when they leave?

https://tinyurl.com/mrxrnhn9

That was Saturday. I went down on Friday, expecting to see that, but I guess I was a day early. I took pictures anyways, and met a Bennett alum who stopped by as I was leaving. I planned on taking a drone video, with a different one, since my first is still in pieces. However, the exact same thing started happening, in the exact same place. When I got it back, it appeared to be perfectly functional, aside from not responding to any outside input. All I can do is shrug, and tell you that I'm sorry there's no video this time, but some force has decided that for me, Bennett is a no-fly zone. Anyways, here are Halcyon's final pictures.

https://imgur.com/a/pdnCB0e

Pretty sure its the choice of green and yellow shades that makes it most unsettling.

Knowing that these pictures belong to West, I'd love to be able to use them on my interactive map. Alas you have something that blocks the copying of your pictures, I respect that though.

Ok, yeah this is definitely West, it lines up almost exactly with a picture that I know is in West.
Fyi, I have put countless hours into researching this location, this is my specialty when it comes to my research into mental institutions.

I am fairly positive this building is either West or Waverley Hall.
If it is West it is a low functioning dorm building, basically just used to warehouse the harder to control patients.
If it is Waverley Hall it was the first administration building, turned to staff housing and low functioning housing.
Both were abandoned in the 1970s. West was built in 1889, with Waverly built in 1891. West is the oldest on the property not including buildings that preceded the school.

You should come back to this place before it's gone. There's so much more worth taking pictures of.

This is what is often referred to as a high-rise. They were extremely popular designs in New York. This one is certainly more spread out than what you would see in NY (refer to Kings Park PC, building 93), but it's still most definitely a high-rise. Very imposing building, but they were built to be able to hold a huge amount of patients. This one is no longer standing as far as I know.

Ah, something from the DSM-4. DSM stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This is the 4th edition, psychiatrists and psychologists are currently using the 5th edition. But it's basically like a bible of developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and mental illnesses.

These porches were added on, you can tell because the build quality is different to that of the rest of the asylum, the caged lights with exposed conduits, concrete, and the fact that a window is very clearly now a door.

The pipes along the ceiling are for fire suppression. This was definitely converted into a ward for overcrowding though. The attics usually have exposed wood.

Ah yes, a ward. Buffalo SH, Danvers SH, Greystone Park SH, and many others share very similar wards. Tall with tin ceilings and rounded brick doorways.