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 PorkChopExpress
      
Location: Pled's Pig Farm, Virginia
Gender: Male
Stand Up Philosopher
 |  | `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
< on 7/16/2008 2:12 AM >
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SALEM, Ore. — So long, Cuckoo's Nest.
Oregon State Hospital, the mental institution where the 1975 movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was filmed, is making way for a new complex. Most of the dilapidated, 125-year-old main building will be torn down and replaced starting this fall.
Although mean Nurse Ratched was pure fiction, the Oregon State Hospital has struggled with some very real troubles over the years, including overcrowding, crumbling floors and ceilings, outbreaks of scabies and stomach flu, sexual abuse of children by staff members, and patient-on-patient assaults.
Politicians had been talking for years about the need to replace the hospital, but didn't get serious about it until a group of legislators made a grim discovery during a 2004 tour: the cremated remains of 3,600 mental patients in corroding copper canisters in a storage room. The lawmakers were stunned.
"Nobody said anything to anybody," said Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney, who dubbed the chamber "the room of lost souls."
The remains belonged to patients who died at the hospital from the late 1880s to the mid-1970s, when mental illness was considered so shameful that many patients were all but abandoned by their families in institutions.
"It just created such an emotional momentum" for replacing the hospital, said Courtney, who led the effort to build a new institution.
Although "Cuckoo's Nest" was filmed here, neither the movie nor the 1962 Ken Kesey novel on which it was based makes any specific references to Oregon State Hospital. Kesey drew on his experiences working at a veterans hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., and set his satirical story at an unnamed institution in Oregon.
Actor Michael Douglas, co-producer of the movie, scouted various West Coast locations and chose the Oregon institution because then-Superintendent Dean Brooks agreed to give the moviemakers unfettered access.
"They wanted to make it on location with real patients," said Brooks, now 91, who was given a speaking part as a weak-willed doctor who acquiesces to Nurse Ratched. Brooks said 89 patients were hired as extras.
Douglas, Jack Nicholson (who played the rebellious Randle Patrick McMurphy) and Louise Fletcher (Nurse Ratched) were regulars at the hospital during shooting.
Milos Forman, the director, lived for six weeks at the institution and had his actors study real patients, according to a 1975 account in Rolling Stone magazine. Nicholson became depressed because of what he saw, including electroshock being administered to a patient.
State leaders decided in 2006 to build a new, $300 million, 620-bed hospital at the site of the oldest and most dilapidated part of the complex, the J Building, a yellow-painted brick structure with brown trim, a towering cupola, and iron gratings on the windows.
The front section of the building, including the cupola, will be preserved as a museum on the history of mental health care.
Other parts of the building were abandoned decades ago and are now a ghostly sight. The paint has been scoured off the bricks by the weather and the passage of time, and the wings are cluttered with old equipment, fallen plaster and piles of pigeon droppings. The third floor is so rotted it is not safe to walk on. The building is also contaminated with lead paint and asbestos.
Construction of the new hospital is set to begin next spring and should be completed by the fall of 2011.
It is not just a bricks-and-mortar exercise Oregon is undertaking to improve care for the mentally ill. State leaders have pledged beefed-up staffing levels, new treatment programs and better living conditions.
Among the 590 current patients is 44-year-old Mike Wyffels, who has been at the hospital for five years with bipolar disorder. Wyffels said he welcomes the state's plan to give most patients their own rooms in the new hospital. In some cases, he said, as many as seven patients share a room.
"When you've got a bunch of people in one tiny room, it's chaos. I can't even study in my room because I don't have the privacy to do it," he said in a conference room while other patients milled around outside in the hall, talking or listening to music.
In May, Portland resident Debbie Osborne came to the hospital to collect the canister containing the remains of her great aunt Clara Johnson, who died of pneumonia 60 years ago. Osborne plans to give the ashes a proper burial this summer.
"It's really sad that we still have a stigma" about mental illness, Osborne said. "But it's changing; it's a lot better."
Courtney wants the museum to include a display of ashes not yet claimed by relatives. "You've got to remember your past to make the future better," he said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
"Deep in the human psyche there lies the need to believe in something fantastic, something powerful, something unknown."
"Touch what you cannot solve, and return to me. I'll give you hints, and I'll give you three..." Zork Nemesis "I eat asbestos and piss PCBs." |
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TomUE
Location: Mukilteo WA.
Gender: Male
| |  |  |  |  | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 1 on 7/16/2008 2:29 AM >
| | | | This seems to be the unfortunate truth about most institutions. Its really too bad they are going to knock down the J ward and other parts of the building. It has magnificent architecture. Attention to detail is not seen in most modern buildings. Its too bad they couldn't just remodel the inside preserving the beautiful facade. I read that they are also going to knock down their physical plant.
-tom
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Opheliaism
   
Moderator
Location: Out on the border of everything and nothing, TN
Ophie
| | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 2 on 7/16/2008 2:35 AM >
| | | | This is pretty interesting. The application to the National Register of Historic Places.
http://www.oregonh...rictnomination.pdf
Show up at 9:30 with 15 dollars cash and your fingers crossed.
<Mandias> I think she's gonna slug that cop. -------------------------------------------------------- <Axle> "She's just not a farmer Owen, she has too much of her Father in her." <Axle> Death by Hut |
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PorkChopExpress
Location: Pled's Pig Farm, Virginia
Gender: Male
Stand Up Philosopher
| | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 3 on 7/16/2008 2:50 AM >
| | | |
Well that's thoroughly confusing. I noticed that, on the first page of the application, the National Park Service section was unsigned. The section stating that it had been declared a National Historic Place was unchecked as well.
Does that mean that they are attempting to tear it down before the application is accepted? Does that somehow make it legal?
Something smells fishy.
"Deep in the human psyche there lies the need to believe in something fantastic, something powerful, something unknown."
"Touch what you cannot solve, and return to me. I'll give you hints, and I'll give you three..." Zork Nemesis "I eat asbestos and piss PCBs." |
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aaronni
Location: South Puget Sound
| | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 4 on 7/16/2008 7:41 AM >
| | | | Luckily they'll be saving the main face of the J Building and demolishing the two wings so the front with it's signature tower will be saved. I'd like to see if they're planning to build the new facility to blend into the lovely brickwork facade OHS is so well known for.
125 years and still in business, impressive.
never know until you go |
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Agent Skelly
Web Sheriff
Location: Oregon Territory
Gender: Male
Prenez De L'Avance Avec Chrysler!
| |  | | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 5 on 7/16/2008 11:51 AM >
| | | | You guys do realize they will build a new hospital right on top of it right?
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aaronni
Location: South Puget Sound
| | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 6 on 7/16/2008 2:28 PM >
| | | | As the plan goes now they'll only be demolishing the two wings and using the tower and it's wards off the to North and South as a face to the new medical facility.
http://www.preserv...hospital-building/
But there's always a chance that they'll deviate from the plan.
never know until you go |
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TomUE
Location: Mukilteo WA.
Gender: Male
| | | | | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 7 on 7/17/2008 5:10 AM >
| | | | Cough.. Woodlands fire cough cough..
-Tom
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amy atomic
Location: Baltimore
Gender: Female
top banana of the baltimore bunch.
| | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 8 on 8/9/2008 5:56 PM >
| | | | Glad to see that they're preserving some of it to use as a museum. Now if only they'd do something like that with one of the remaining MA asylums. [I know about the Public Health Museum at Tewksbury, but I'm talking one strictly on mental health.]
Also, it always makes me feel a little better when I know that they're tearing down an old hospital to build a new one, like they're doing at Worcester State. At least the property is maintaining its original use, and public mental health care is way more important than luxury condo developments.
Thanks for the sharing the article!
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rainman8889
Location: H.T.S.F.C. Time to gain and a time to lose.
Bye for now.
| | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 9 on 8/10/2008 2:45 AM >
| | | | Posted by Agent Skelly
You guys do realize they will build a new hospital right on top of it right?
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We do.
However, I prefer to see a new hospital over condos or another sardine subdivision. At least there will be a new facility. instead of another source of income for developers.
Gone for a while. Be back when I'm back. |
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Agent Skelly
Web Sheriff
Location: Oregon Territory
Gender: Male
Prenez De L'Avance Avec Chrysler!
| | | | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 10 on 8/10/2008 5:09 AM >
| | | | Posted by rainman8889
We do.
However, I prefer to see a new hospital over condos or another sardine subdivision. At least there will be a new facility. instead of another source of income for developers.
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Well, it would be hard to put condos anyways next to a prison 
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BDM99
Location: Salem, OR
Gender: Male
| | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 11 on 9/30/2008 2:28 AM >
| | | | The really interesting thing about the OHS is the tunnels.
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aaronni
Location: South Puget Sound
| | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 12 on 9/30/2008 8:12 AM >
| | | | Went on the one time public tour I see...
never know until you go |
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BDM99
Location: Salem, OR
Gender: Male
| | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 13 on 9/30/2008 8:27 AM >
| | | | Yeah... trespassing on properties where they can legally shoot you is no fun. I figured I'd be able to see much more on the tour, too. Played it safe for this site.
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Agent Skelly
Web Sheriff
Location: Oregon Territory
Gender: Male
Prenez De L'Avance Avec Chrysler!
| | | | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 14 on 10/3/2008 3:38 AM >
| | | | OSH along with the nearby prison used to have an interconnected narrow gauge railway tunnel system to move materials between them which makes the tunnels quite interesting.
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BDM99
Location: Salem, OR
Gender: Male
| | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 15 on 10/3/2008 3:45 AM >
| | | | Posted by Agent Skelly
OSH along with the nearby prison used to have an interconnected narrow gauge railway tunnel system to move materials between them which makes the tunnels quite interesting.
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Yeah, it's true. You can see the rails in my picture. They use electric carts now to deliver food and clothing to the different wings of the hospital. Unfortunately, the tunnel to the Penitentiary is condemned.
Still, there's 1.8 miles of active tunnels, including one under Center Street. You can see the light shining in from purple prisms set into the sidewalk (unfortunately, didn't get a pic of that).
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Esoterik
Location: Kansas City
Gender: Male
| | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 16 on 12/4/2008 4:00 PM >
| | | | Jack Nicholson = most annoying over-rated actor ever.
“You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.” |
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RailGuy88
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: Where you're not...
Gender: Male
| | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 17 on 12/4/2008 10:25 PM >
| | | | Posted by Esoterik
Jack Nicholson = most annoying over-rated actor ever.
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Huh? What does that have to do with this subject?
Going where others can't... |
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Agent Skelly
Web Sheriff
Location: Oregon Territory
Gender: Male
Prenez De L'Avance Avec Chrysler!
| | | | | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 18 on 12/5/2008 2:47 AM >
| | | | Posted by RailGuy88
Huh? What does that have to do with this subject?
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He played McMurphy in the movie.
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Esoterik
Location: Kansas City
Gender: Male
| | Re: `Cuckoo's Nest' hospital to be torn down
<Reply # 19 on 12/5/2008 2:47 PM >
| | | | Posted by RailGuy88
Huh? What does that have to do with this subject?
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My train of thought is runaway sometimes.
“You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.” |
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