1,382 Comments for Dixmont State Hospital

There was definately a fire in that area from what I saw yesterday. If you look up at the damage before you walk in the front door, you will see a heavy wooden crossbeam is about the only remaining structure in that area, and it looks like it was pulled out of a campfire---all cracked and charred.

I think I remember seeing that chair still there yesterday, but it was turned on it's side. As for it's mysterious condition, anything is possible since over the past 21 years of the building's abandonment scores of kids have been going to the building to party, drink, do drugs, and who knows what else.

Actually, I think those lines are water lines from the sprinkler system that was added. Probably a sprinkler head in each room like modern hospitals and hotels.

Some of the bathrooms had full length shower curtains that were identical to those privacy curtains that are still hanging there. Funny how something so typically mundane as a bathroom can be so interesting.

These corridors are gone now as I posted to an earlier pic thread. All that's left is just the door nearest the photographer that leads to about a 15 foot drop down to the roadway below. And as for cyclops, I saw one spray painted on a wall in one of the rooms.

The reflection is from the plastic cover of a flourescent light fixture. The appearant smoothness of that section of ceiling may be from the lack of paint. Many sections of the building, particularly those exposed to a lot of moisture from the leaking roof, have already lost all their paint and all that is left is the bare plaster. Some parts of the ceilings have even lost the plaster and all that remains is the steel structure and subflooring from the floor above. The building really has fallen into terrible shape.

These windows are gone now. All the windows except for some of the glass block ones have been removed. I suppose this was done in preparation for the pending demolition.

I must add, though, that the 4th floor is very badly damaged now from the fire and water. I couldn't look around up there very much because the floors were very weak and I didn't want to risk falling through.

I guess this wonderful painting will be coming down with the rest of the building soon. Thankfully we have this photo to remember it by.

Everybody sees George and Annie and the 'horny guy', but has anybody ever noticed 'Mr. Potato Head? He's the first guy on the left.

There's a guy in there that looks like my father too. (LOL)

That partition is still laying there just like it is in the photo. I was standing on it yesterday trying to figure out where it once stood.

I was just up at the Dixmont complex yesterday for about 2 hours before the Kilbuck Twp police showed up and were about to tow my car. Sadly, I must report that the bridge in the photo above has been torn down, as well as the second one that is a bit farther back in the photo. All the trees for many yards on either side of Reed Hall have all been cut down and removed. The roadway under the bridges is not even visible now because it is almost totally covered with mud that has been tracked over it from all the heavy construction equipment. It is looking like Reed Hall is soon to be demolished. They've already started to tear down the one end of the building that houses the laboratory and the morgue.

I'm not one of these people that goes around preaching that WalMart is the devil and so forth, but after visiting the property yesterday, I really think that it is such a shame to raze this complex to build a new WalMart Supercenter. I understand that the buildings are old, falling apart, and dangerous and therefore should probably be torn down, but the site could be turned into something so much more useful like a new retirement home for Allegheny county's increasing population of elderly residents or even an apartment/townhome complex that would draw young adult residents to the Pittsburgh area to start their careers. The view of the river valley from the front of the Kirkbride building is really amazing now with all the trees from the front of the property removed. You can see Neville Island clearly from one end to the other. I really think that this is a shame and a horribly squandered opportunity. This type of thinking is what led to the decline of the Pgh region and keeps it down. City and county authorities keep trying to solve the problems by making more stupid development decisions and raising taxes. Way to go, morons. Such a shame.

Any updates on the demolition?

No from what I was told it was one of the old farm buildings way up on the hill.

Did they drive that truck trogh the old masion truckie????

i mean i have spent so many years searching and exploring the dixmont site and i fell in love. why the fuck do we need another walmart when theres one in robinson? its close enough to emsworth. im just outraged about the whole thing. i guess im heading out the door to make one of my last visits. i will let everyone know whats goes on as long as i keep finding out stuff.