364 Comments for Northville State Hospital

We used to get patients who would come the Northville Downs horse track down the street when I worked for Northville PD. They were 10%er's because they would hang out near the pay out windows and if you hit it big on a race you could have them redeem your ticket for 10% of the winnings, which was less than you would pay in taxes. At least back then (early "90's) mentally/physically disabled did not pay taxes on gambling winnings, so you got more money and they got money for the comensary etc.

The courtroom would have been used for committal hearings to hold someone for longer than the 72 hour evaluation period. It was easier/safer (some of the people committed there were dangerous) to have it all there at the facility than trying to transport someone to the local court house for the hearing

Would make a great YMCA. Pool/gym/auditorium/classrooms. Such a waste to just let it sit.

Amazing how similar the architecture of this building looks to the Rochester State Hospital (Terrence Building) in Rochester, NY.

Thanks for another awesome gallery Motts!! Your the best!! Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas & or Happy Holidays today!!

Motts thats not good. Please be careful. I wonder why they'd be following you in the first place. Where they there to do some harm to the building or something else? Either way its scary to think about!! Those ideas are good one's only if one has the time to do that.

Its so sad how they destroy everything in these places. They have no regard for what this place was. Plus all that glass, no railing. It would be very dangerous in the daytime let alone the nighttime. Be careful !! That would scare me.

Love seeing the soap dispenser. At least its still in one piece !! Cool!!

If these 'wall's' could talk I do think they'd be saying a lot. It must have been horrible to be there.

I also thought the roof was missing. Thanks for the info. Great photo!!

Great gallery Motts as always!! Love the hospital photos. Thanks so much!!

Thanks for the info, Motts!

I would imagine many people were transitioned out to community-based programs, where former residents would be living in assisted group homes. This was the plan when the country "deinstitutionalized" the state hospital system; much of this happened in the 1980s through the 1990s. It has been argued that a majority of these people eventually wound up homeless and/or in prison, and not getting the level care they require.

Residents who required higher levels of care were probably transferred to one of the remaining state hospitals in Caro, Ann Arbor, Westland, or Kalamazoo.

Do you know where all the patient's went ?

This one would make for very dull skateboarding.