Boston Lunatic Hospital opened in 1839, its first location in South Boston, Massachusetts. After the building underwent expansion, part of its operations – chronic and mild cases of insane persons – moved to Austin Farm’s Home for the Poor. In 1892, the City of Boston purchased Pierce Farm on Walk Hill and Canterbury Streets in Boston. By 1895, the hospital built new expansions at these sites, women were housed at the Austin Farm location, and men at Pierce Farm. The locations were sold to the state in 1908, and renamed to Boston State Hospital. The hospital was named in a large class action lawsuit in 1979 – Rogers v. Okin – which created a new procedure requiring a court hearing before a patient could be involuntarily medicated in non-emergency situations. The hospital closed in 1979, ceasing all operations by 1981. It has since been redeveloped into affordable housing, called Olmsted Green. Pictures of the site before it was demolished and redeveloped can be seen here (credit to Johnny Burma).
Images courtesy of the Dorchester Atheneum IMAGE LINK
The Ghastly Historian 
