Opened: 1898
Closed: 2001
The McKinley Hall was originally a part of the Massillon State Hospital, built on the grounds first owned by James Duncan, the founder of Massillon, Ohio. On March 31, 1892, during William McKinley's first term as the governor of Ohio, a bill was passed that chose the city of Massillon for the very first state hospital in the United States and Canada and authorized construction for the hospital later that year. Construction for the new hospital began in 1893 with the development of McKinley Hall, a multipurpose building of the hospital named in honor of former Ohio Governor and United States President William McKinley. The hospital was completed and opened on September 6, 1898 as the Eastern Ohio Mental Asylum, however was later renamed the Massillon State Hospital.
The McKinley Hall was the first of its kind to house mental patients, and housed 300 patients from 21 counties all over the state of Ohio during its opening. The hospital prospered as its maximum size reached 3,100 patients and approximately 365 full- and part-time workers and nurses by the year 1950. It was dubbed one of the most popular and "the most beautiful institutions in the world." The expanse of the land was considered so beautiful that many family picnics took place on the lawn, as well as baseball games and Massillon football games at the nearby Sunnyside Field.
The hospital was a member of both the American and Ohio Hospital Associations. Even though it held the name of Massillon in the name, it was in fact not owned by the city of Massillon because of the city not collecting money from taxes, therefore the hospital was funded entirely from the money received from patients.
During the mid-1970s, more than half the hospital's patients were transferred to new facilities for new mental health treatment. The state hospital changed its name to the Massillon Psychiatric Center and then to the Heartland Behavioral Health Center, which it is known as today. The McKinely Hall portion then shifted its focus to hosting many parties, dinners, and weddings. As use of the hall began to diminish, the hall officially closed in 2001 and became abandoned.
In 2014, there were hopes to transform the McKinley Hall into a haunted house attraction, but the plans soon fell through due to structural problems. In 2016, the building was designated a historical site in hopes to repurpose the site into a new functioning medical facility to create new local jobs. Renovations would cost between $10 million to $15 million, however, it is years away from completion, as the site still sits abandoned.
Source(s): Massillon Museum, Asylum Projects, The Repository, The Independent
Closed: 2001
The McKinley Hall was originally a part of the Massillon State Hospital, built on the grounds first owned by James Duncan, the founder of Massillon, Ohio. On March 31, 1892, during William McKinley's first term as the governor of Ohio, a bill was passed that chose the city of Massillon for the very first state hospital in the United States and Canada and authorized construction for the hospital later that year. Construction for the new hospital began in 1893 with the development of McKinley Hall, a multipurpose building of the hospital named in honor of former Ohio Governor and United States President William McKinley. The hospital was completed and opened on September 6, 1898 as the Eastern Ohio Mental Asylum, however was later renamed the Massillon State Hospital.
The McKinley Hall was the first of its kind to house mental patients, and housed 300 patients from 21 counties all over the state of Ohio during its opening. The hospital prospered as its maximum size reached 3,100 patients and approximately 365 full- and part-time workers and nurses by the year 1950. It was dubbed one of the most popular and "the most beautiful institutions in the world." The expanse of the land was considered so beautiful that many family picnics took place on the lawn, as well as baseball games and Massillon football games at the nearby Sunnyside Field.
The hospital was a member of both the American and Ohio Hospital Associations. Even though it held the name of Massillon in the name, it was in fact not owned by the city of Massillon because of the city not collecting money from taxes, therefore the hospital was funded entirely from the money received from patients.
During the mid-1970s, more than half the hospital's patients were transferred to new facilities for new mental health treatment. The state hospital changed its name to the Massillon Psychiatric Center and then to the Heartland Behavioral Health Center, which it is known as today. The McKinely Hall portion then shifted its focus to hosting many parties, dinners, and weddings. As use of the hall began to diminish, the hall officially closed in 2001 and became abandoned.
In 2014, there were hopes to transform the McKinley Hall into a haunted house attraction, but the plans soon fell through due to structural problems. In 2016, the building was designated a historical site in hopes to repurpose the site into a new functioning medical facility to create new local jobs. Renovations would cost between $10 million to $15 million, however, it is years away from completion, as the site still sits abandoned.
Source(s): Massillon Museum, Asylum Projects, The Repository, The Independent
Members: Brandon Greavu, Jacob Andrews, Seth Richards, Joey Crowl
Date: January 15, 2017
On the night of January 15th, 2017, the Malvern EPS opened up a double-visit trip by going to the McKinley Hall in Massillon, Ohio. We parked on an unnamed, hidden drive off of Nave Road SE, beside McKinley Drive SE, at about 8 p.m. The drive was dark and overgrown with tree branches hanging low, so we were well hidden from the main road. We began walking through the field and woods between the car and McKinley Drive until we came out onto the road. We continued walking down the road until we saw the McKinely Hall come into sight.