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New York State Inebriate Asylum

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New York State Inebriate Asylum
The New York State Inebriate Asylum, as it appeared in 1882
New York State Inebriate Asylum is located in New York
New York State Inebriate Asylum
Location within New York
New York State Inebriate Asylum is located in the United States
New York State Inebriate Asylum
Location within the United States
Location425 Robinson St., Binghamton, NY
Coordinates42°6′23.3274″N 75°51′56.7″W / 42.106479833°N 75.865750°W / 42.106479833; -75.865750
Area20 acres (8.1 ha) (landmarked area)
Built1858 (1858)
ArchitectIsaac G. Perry
Architectural styleGothic Revival
NRHP reference No.96000814
NYSRHP No.00740.000262
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 24, 1996[1]
Designated NHLDecember 9, 1997[2]
Designated NYSRHPJune 7, 1996

The New York State Inebriate Asylum, later known as Binghamton State Hospital, was the first institution designed and constructed to treat alcoholism as a mental disorder in the United States.[2][3] Located in Binghamton, NY, its imposing Gothic Revival exterior was designed by New York architect Isaac G. Perry. Construction was completed in 1864. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997.[2][3] The building is empty[4] and closed to the public.[5]

Description and history

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Main Building about 1923

The former New York State Inebriate Asylum building is located high on a prominent hilltop in eastern Binghamton, at 425 Robinson Street. It is a large and imposing Gothic Revival stone building. [3]

The asylum was chartered in 1854, but site work and construction on this campus did not begin until 1857, in what were then the rural outskirts of Binghamton. The asylum admitted its first patients in 1864, but the building was not completed for another two years. It was the first large-scale public facility in which alcoholism was treated as a medical condition. It served this function until 1879, when it was converted to a mental hospital. The facilities were significantly enlarged in the 1880s, with the addition of many buildings that have since been demolished. The building remained in use as a mental hospital or psychiatric services center until 1993, when it was closed due to inadequate maintenance.[3]

In 2008, SUNY Upstate Medical University took over the vacant building, with plans rehabilitate the main building and to establish a satellite campus on the grounds. Due to a general economic downturn, the university never developed the building beyond stabilizing its condition. In 2015, Binghamton University announced it had taken stewardship of the building and would proceed with plans for rehabilitation of the building.[6] However that has since changed and the New York State Office of Mental Health is now the sole proprietor.[4] The building is empty[4] and closed to the public.[5]

New York State Inebriate Asylum as of 2010
New York State Inebriate Asylum as of 2010

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 "New York State Inebriate Asylum". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 15, 2007. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Laura A. Kimball, Karla M. Eisch, and Wesley Haynes (July 1997). National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP New York State Inebriate Asylum. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved October 25, 2025.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) (Downloading may be slow.)
  4. 1 2 3 Luther, Roger (2021). "New York State Inebriate Asylum, Binghamton". Landmarks of New York State. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "New York State Inebriate Asylum". National Park Service. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Binghamton's Castle" (Press release). Binghamton, New York: Media and Public Relations at Binghamton University. April 10, 2015. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Today Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger, along with Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, announced that the University has taken on stewardship of Binghamton's Castle, the former New York State Inebriate Asylum. "We will oversee the preservation of the building and are currently working with Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo to acquire the additional funds necessary to further develop the property," Stenger said.
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