Saint Elizabeths Hospital
The campus of Saint Elizabeths Hospital is sited pleasantly atop a wooded ridge in the Anacostia Hills. It is a National Historic Landmark whose story and impact on mental health treatment in the United States can be read in the historic buildings and landscapes that cover its 350 acres.
Prior to the 1840s, when Dorothea Lynde Dix first began advocating for better housing conditions for people suffering from mental illness, mental illness treatment and care was at best haphazard and at worst inhumane. Dix brought her message of reform to Washington, convincing Congress in 1852 to provide $100,000 for the purpose of establishing the first federal mental health hospital for armed forces veterans and District of Columbia residents. Originally named the U.S. Government Hospital for the Insane, the mission of the hospital was to provide the most humane care and enlightened curative treatment for patients.
Saint Elizabeths is a living example of how public attitudes and policy shape the built environment and how the built environment can shape public attitudes and policy.
Both the federal government-controlled West Campus and the District of Columbia-controlled East Campus have been and continue to be redeveloped. The West Campus and a small portion of the East Campus are now the headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security and the US Coast Guard. Part of the East Campus remains in use as a hospital, while the remainder of the East Campus is now serving a mix of public and private uses.
Development is altering portions of the National Historic Landmark campus, but also preserves and adaptively reuses many buildings and landscapes that make Saint Elizabeths an important part of American history.
Please note that much of the Saint Elizabeths campus is government property and visitors cannot walk the grounds. For more information about public access, please visit the following link: https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/gsa-properties/visiting-public-buildings/historic-tours-of-st-elizabeths-campus
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Saint Elizabeths Hospital Historic District: Saint Elizabeths is one of the nation’s earliest and most significant institutions for the treatment of mental illness.
Established largely through the efforts of Dorothea Dix, the leading mental health reformer of the 19th century, Saint Elizabeths Hospital was chartered by Congress in 1852 as the Government Hospital…
Saint Elizabeths: West Campus
Saint Elizabeths' West Campus includes some of the hospital's earliest buildings, with The Center Building being the first. Facilities on the West Campus of Saint Elizabeths provide a striking picture…
The Center Building: As the first building on Saint Elizabeths' campus, the Center Building is an important example of how professionals viewed the built environment in the treatment of mental illness.
The Center Building was constructed between 1852 and 1895 and is 948 feet in length. Described as “Collegiate Gothic,” the architecture is of a style that was considered appropriate for hospitals for…
Burroughs Cottage (1891-2026): Originally built for a single patient in 1891, the Burroughs Cottage was an important example of Saint Elizabeths' "cottage plan" and how it benefited the daily lives and treatment of patients.
Although there were several single-family homes built at Saint Elizabeths for staff who lived on the site, only one was built for patient care. In 1886, Sarah Borrows, a patient from a wealthy…
Circulating Library: The Circulating Library was established at Saint Elizabeths in 1883 and was a significant part of the daily lives and treatment of patients.
The circulating library played an important role in the daily lives and treatment of Saint Elizabeths’ patients. By 1913, the library’s collection included around six thousand books. Almost ten years…
The Rest, Saint Elizabeths: Built in 1882, The Rest was first used by Saint Elizabeths as a mortuary and pathology lab before it became the new home of the hospital's Circulating Library in 1929.
The Rest was constructed in 1882 and served as Saint Elizabeths mortuary and pathology lab. One of the most prominent figures to work in The Rest was Dr. Isaac Wright Blackburn. Blackburn was…
Fire House, Saint Elizabeths: The St. Elizabeths Hospital Fire House is an important example of the intended self-sufficiency of the campus.
St. Elizabeths Hospital strived for self-sufficiency. Leaders of the hospital wanted it to be able to provide for itself and made it their mission to develop a range of services on-campus to address…
Hitchcock Hall: Built in 1910, Hitchcock Hall was a place for patient entertainment, amusement, and creativity at Saint Elizabeths.
Hitchcock Hall was constructed in 1910 and used as a space for patient assembly and amusement. The hall included 1,200 seats for the hospital’s residents and hosted many forms of entertainment such…
Dining Hall: The Dining Hall, built in 1886, was an important place in the social lives of Saint Elizabeths patients.
Constructed in 1886, the Dining Hall benefited the social lives of patients at Saint Elizabeths. It allowed for as many as 600 patients to convene for meals. This was far different than dining in…
Administration Building: After its construction in 1903, the Administration Building housed Saint Elizabeths records and archives.
The Administration Building, constructed in 1903, was the centerpiece of the hospital’s largest building campaign and expansion, which included fourteen new buildings. Plans for the Administration…
Saint Elizabeths Hospital Cemeteries: Cemeteries on Saint Elizabeths' West and East campuses offer an important window into the hospital's history.
The oldest burial ground at Saint Elizabeths was created in 1856 on the wooded western slope of the West Campus. In most cases, funeral arrangements for patients who dies at Saint Elizabeths were…
Saint Elizabeths: East Campus
In 1869, Saint Elizabeths purchased the land that would become the hospital's East Campus. The purpose of the additional land was to have more space for Saint Elizabeths' agricultural operations.…
Dry Barn (1884-2022): Constructed during the 1880s, this important agricultural structure was destroyed in a fire in 2022.
Farming was an integral part in the treatment of patients at Saint Elizabeths. It also carried out the hospital's goal of producing as much of its own food as possible. During his time as the…
Blackburn Laboratory: The Blackburn Laboratory became Saint Elizabeths' first medical science facility after its construction in 1924 and served as an example of changing treatment philosophies during the twentieth century.
Built in 1924, the Blackburn Laboratory was named for Dr. Isaac Wright Blackburn, who had been appointed special pathologist at Saint Elizabeths in 1884. The Laboratory was the hospital's first…Tour curated by: DC Preservation League