Im thinking that at the time these buildings where built, they used what they thought *appropriate* at the time. It all had to start somewhere . Think about it, if you where working with patients that where deemed criminally insane, you would need some kind of protection between yourself and the clients you where taking care of. And since like Lynn said, this was the days before plexi-glass..........so its going to be mesh.............TAA DAA.....my deep thought for today........ 8-)
Some of the nursing homes I worked in didnt have bathrooms in the patients rooms either. It was extremely fun trying to carry a steaming bedpan down the hallway and not spill it on yourself. ;-~
Staycee,
I could have worded that better, if there is something in these institutions that you don't understand, just ask lynne about it, if she dosn't have the answe she can find it.
If you get the chance, go back and read some of her past comments ( just click on her name in the comments and you can read the ones she posted )
Motts - did it look like the fireplace had ever actually been used before?
~Me - great references for marble and granite - thanks!
Tiley - yes, I love ceramic tile. I believe it was around the Victorian and Edwardian eras when they were using it a lot in home architecture, wasn't it? I have some great old tile pix in a vintage magazine I lent to a friend at work. GREAT stuff. This particular fireplace puts me in mind of majolica tiles. http://www.tile-heaven.co.uk/majolica-01.htm
psychadellic one - plenty of room, plenty of room!
Anyways, you aren't locked in a room without a bathroom unless you are in isolation for violent behavior, and even then, they have to give you a bathroom break. This is just an old patient bedroom that was small, like most rooms were at the time. Very few rooms then, including rooms in community homes, had bathrooms attached.
However, I am guessing that if every room had a bathroom, people would think that was weird too.
Sometimes, you're darned if you do and danged if you don't. :-)