BACKGROUND
The Brecksville Veterans Administration Hospital began construction in 1956 and was finished and opened in 1961. The hospital was massive it sat on a 102 acre property and consisted of 16 regular hospital sized buildings all interconnected with tunnels holding 1,000 beds and rooms between all 16 of them. The hospital served as a veterans treatment plant. It offered help to all veterans who were hurt physically, mentally, and emotionally. At one time it was the largest veterans hospital in the United States. The hospital served as a living space for lots of veterans as it consisted of a bowling alley, a basketball court, a pool and a fishing pond all on the property. The whole cost of the hospital and the property was $23 million.
The hospital had many veteran patients who were post WW2 and also those in the Korean and Vietnam wars. It was built in a very wooded nature kind of area which is how the founders wanted it to be. The hospital did really well at the start but in 1970 it began to get accusations for polluting the air in Brecksville, Ohio due to the large amounts of coal the hospital was using to heat all 16 buildings. In 1971 the hospital administration admitted to polluting the air in Brecksville, Ohio and said they would use other ways to heat their buildings including oil and gas. The hospital also was accused of polluting the water system in the city as well. The hospital was seen as a threat to the local community and other problems began to arise as well.
The attitudes of Americans towards veterans began to shift because at the time veterans of the Vietnam war were not liked very much so as a result the veterans hospital became very unpopular in the city of Brecksville. They were also numerous reports that mentally ill veterans were escaping and causing havoc in the town also many doctors at the hospital were convicted for selling illegal prescription drugs and a few hospital administrators were charged with theft.
The hospital remained active through the years and in 2011 the hospital merged with the wade park hospital in Cleveland and shut down. The huge 102 acre property remains abandoned and untouched since then and still stands til this day.
The hospital had many veteran patients who were post WW2 and also those in the Korean and Vietnam wars. It was built in a very wooded nature kind of area which is how the founders wanted it to be. The hospital did really well at the start but in 1970 it began to get accusations for polluting the air in Brecksville, Ohio due to the large amounts of coal the hospital was using to heat all 16 buildings. In 1971 the hospital administration admitted to polluting the air in Brecksville, Ohio and said they would use other ways to heat their buildings including oil and gas. The hospital also was accused of polluting the water system in the city as well. The hospital was seen as a threat to the local community and other problems began to arise as well.
The attitudes of Americans towards veterans began to shift because at the time veterans of the Vietnam war were not liked very much so as a result the veterans hospital became very unpopular in the city of Brecksville. They were also numerous reports that mentally ill veterans were escaping and causing havoc in the town also many doctors at the hospital were convicted for selling illegal prescription drugs and a few hospital administrators were charged with theft.
The hospital remained active through the years and in 2011 the hospital merged with the wade park hospital in Cleveland and shut down. The huge 102 acre property remains abandoned and untouched since then and still stands til this day.
THE MISSION
Date: February 2, 2018
Members: Brandon Greavu, Jacob Andrews, Seth Richards, Christian Grimm
Report: The Malvern EPS visited what would be the largest place we've ever visited -- the Brecksville VA Hospital in Brecksville, Ohio -- on Friday, February 2nd, 2018. We parked at the very north side (according to the map below) of a parking lot which seemed to contain a PNC Bank, located just southwest of the hospital campus, at roughly 6 p.m. We geared up and prepared ourselves as our first challenge was to cross Miller Road, a very busy road at that time. We hid in some trees until the area seemed clear of any oncoming traffic, and we swiftly crossed the road and continued moving until we found ourselves in a field along the west side of the property. As we got through a fence that was shielding the hospitals, we began to feel on edge knowing there had to have been police watching the property somewhere. However, we didn't see any for the time being so we continued forwards and crept up to the southwestern building. We found an unlocked door and entered the first of many buildings in the area. The first building consisted of empty hallways and rooms, but many rooms seemed to still contain nice, untouched desks and furniture. We made our way to the roof of this building and looked out as we saw the other abandoned buildings, with one very large hospital in the middle. We decided that was our next destination and we moved downwards to find the long interconnecting hallways between the buildings.
Members: Brandon Greavu, Jacob Andrews, Seth Richards, Christian Grimm
Report: The Malvern EPS visited what would be the largest place we've ever visited -- the Brecksville VA Hospital in Brecksville, Ohio -- on Friday, February 2nd, 2018. We parked at the very north side (according to the map below) of a parking lot which seemed to contain a PNC Bank, located just southwest of the hospital campus, at roughly 6 p.m. We geared up and prepared ourselves as our first challenge was to cross Miller Road, a very busy road at that time. We hid in some trees until the area seemed clear of any oncoming traffic, and we swiftly crossed the road and continued moving until we found ourselves in a field along the west side of the property. As we got through a fence that was shielding the hospitals, we began to feel on edge knowing there had to have been police watching the property somewhere. However, we didn't see any for the time being so we continued forwards and crept up to the southwestern building. We found an unlocked door and entered the first of many buildings in the area. The first building consisted of empty hallways and rooms, but many rooms seemed to still contain nice, untouched desks and furniture. We made our way to the roof of this building and looked out as we saw the other abandoned buildings, with one very large hospital in the middle. We decided that was our next destination and we moved downwards to find the long interconnecting hallways between the buildings.