Backed Into The Corner-Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Happy Friday, I thought it was time to pull out something crazy from the archives. This is a shot from a private photo tour in 2011 of the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, the former Weston State Hospital, Weston West Virginia.
A few fun facts-
-It was a Kirkbride Style psychiatric hospital that operated from 1864 until 1994
-Originally designed to hold 250 people, it became overcrowded in the 1950’s with 2,400 patients
-The hospital’s main building is one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the United States, The Weston Hospital Main Building, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990
Allot of bad things happened in this building over the years, especially in the years of overcrowding in the 1950’s. This was a shot from one of the many outbuildings at the complex, only accessible on the private photo tours. This is a creepy building, to say the least. Just looking at the scene, the weird colored slotted windows, stains on the walls and floors, one hanging light in the corner. Something tells me it would not be a good room to be backed into the corner when this complex was in operation.
Have a Great Weekend, thanks for stopping!
Peter Talke
7 Feb 2014Mike, sweet location!!! Zac Bagans would agree!!
Mark Garbowski
7 Feb 2014This room just screams institution. Well captured and rendered.
Edith Levy
7 Feb 2014Sounds like an awesome place to shoot Mike. Great shot.
Jimi Jones
10 Feb 2014Very nice shot, Mike. I like the patterns captured here. Looks like a fun place for a photo shoot.
Len Saltiel
10 Feb 2014That must have been an interesting and eerie place to shoot Mike. Great image.
Phillip Burrow
10 Feb 2014What a very interesting place to shoot. Your picture really brings to life how awful it must have been, to be cooped up in that place.
Jim Nix
11 Feb 2014you have done the impossible my friend – taken an empty room and made it very interesting! nicely done!