Greystone opened in 1876 with the transfer of nearly 300 patients from the overcrowded State Hospital in Trenton. At this time, the effectiveness of the asylum as a form of treatment was being questioned, particularly by the new science of neurology. Competing styles of treatment centers were developing, including the ‘cottage plan,’ a collection of many smaller buildings each intended to mimic a large household. Greystone, by contrast, was a gargantuan version of a ‘congregate’ style asylum, where all patients lived under one roof, separated into large wards with individual rooms. Whereas previous generations of congregate asylums were recommended to hold 250 patients, Greystone was built for 800. Within a decade Gresytone was overcrowded, which only got worse in the decades that followed.
Other Names:
New Jersey State Hospital for the Insane at Morristown
